Unwanted Attraction
by justpenandpaper
Summary: Love is something almost everyone dreams about finding during their lives. Romance novels, movies, and television shows constantly speak about it's wonders and beauty. However, great loves are not always simple, and at times they are unwanted. The saying you cannot choose who you love exists for a reason, and it implies more than ever to none other than Rosalie Cullen.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hello there everyone! While I am incredibly late to this party, I recently got pulled into this ship and fell in love with them. This idea came into my head, and I just couldn't help but get to writing. It might be frustrating at times with updates since I do go to school and work as a waitress at a restaurant that is open until 2 in the morning. However, don't lost hope! I have a ton of this planned out which is something I can rarely say. So, without further ado, I give you Unwanted Attraction. **

**Oh and nothing belongs to me. Stephanie Meyer is the genius behind all of these wonderfully created characters. I only take credit for OCs. :) Enjoy! R&amp;Rs make me happpy! **

_Prologue _

The moment Edward's teeth sunk into Bella's skin to remove the venom James had injected, he knew that he could not truly be his girlfriend's mate. The thought caused him more pain than he thought possible, but there was nothing he could do. Her blood called to him far too much. Desire would eventually win out his love which would doom them from the start. If they were truly destined to be, then the idea of hurting his mate would be unfathomable. Yet, there he was practically needing to be pulled away from the unconscious body of the girl he loved. His singer was all Bella could ever be.

When Carlisle immediately rushed off to carry the klumsy girl to the hospital, thoughts once again intruded his mind. Throughout the commotion there had been a moment of silence, but now others' thoughts were as loud as ever. One person's thoughts stuck out to him in particular which caused his head to snap over in her direction. The realisation of her secret being exposed was immediate, and his sister took off running. Edward refused to not have an explanation for what he had just heard, so he took after her. His speed would allow him to catch up rather quickly which was why Rosalie simply huffed and came to a stop when they were far enough away from the others.

Her arms were wrapped around herself as she stared out towards the mountains. While the temperature was warm by Forks standards, there was still a wind that caused her blonde locks to dance wildly in the wind. The beauty's arms were wrapped around herself not due to the cold but to comfort herself through the conversation she was going to be forced to have. "Ask your questions, Edward. If you are waiting for me to pour my dead heart out, you will be waiting there for quite awhile. We have an eternity of time to waste after all."

Edward's mind was blank. When he had heard Rosalie's thoughts, anger coursed through his body which caused him to move before he could even string a proper sentence together. "You love her."

The blonde's back remained towards her eldest brother. Three words caused her entire body to tense and heart to shatter all at once. Her biggest secret had been exposed due to a moment of weakness. By now she had mastered how to keep her thoughts private around her ever so intrusive brother. Singing whatever annoying pop song this generation came up with over and over typically did the job. Now though, when she had seen Bella's body squirming and hearing her screams, every defense mechanism went out the window. All of her strength was focused on forcing herself to remain still and not run towards the girl she hated to love. "That is not a question," she finally spoke. The words were quiet, but she knew the man behind her could hear them. There was no need to speak loudly. This was not a proud declaration. It was one forced upon her thanks to a gift given to her brother by the life she loathed.

"Cut the crap, Rosalie. How could I not know about this? Who else knows? There are so many questions in my mind right now that I don't know whether or not to ask you them all at once or to throw you through the nearest row of trees." Violence towards his family was something that typically Edward would never condone. Yes, they would all playfully wrestle from time to time, but there was never any true desire to cause the other harm. Now though, the eldest Cullen was trying so desperately to not act on instinct. Every fiber of his being was telling him to protect Bella, but not out of love. No, the demon within him was telling him to protect the blood that called to him so. Another vampire having her was simply out of the question. His typically golden eyes were now tainted with the red, but his skin was crawling with the desire to have another taste. The one he had was not enough.

If crying was possible, then Rosalie was possitive she would dry heaving on the ground due to the sheer force of her emotions. For months she had been able to keep everything together, but her brother voicing the words she hated to acknowledge was the final crack in her icy composure. There was no point in hiding anymore. All she could do was come clean and then beg her family to run. "Even if you did your worst to me right now, I can guarantee you that it is nothing compared to the torture I have been putting myself through for months." Her eyes moved to scan her nails. If all else failed, her vanity always proved to give her something else to focus on while she had this unpleasant conversation. "I purposely kept my thoughts off of her when you were near. You believed you were in love with her, and to be honest, that worked in my favor. At least while she was with you, I could not pursue her. No matter what my useless organ desired, I would not betray you in such a way." The slight growling that she had heard begin to rumble in her brother's throat died when he heard her words. While that would make most happy, all it did was make the blonde want to groan. Pity was the last thing she wanted from anyone in her family. "The only people who know are Jasper and Emmett. As we both know, I could not hide my feelings from Jasper. He knew practically seconds after I felt it myself, and I had to beg him to keep this a secret. Emmett knew the moment I laid eyes on her when she arrived to school. While we aren't mates, after so many years of acting like we are has allowed him to become incredibly close to me. He knows me better than I know myself at times which is aggravating."

All of the information was nearly too much. If Edward had thought constantly hearing the sounds of other's thoughts gave him migraines, this quickly took the cake. How exactly was he suppossed to react? His sister had basically told him that she had forced herself to see her mate with someone else due to his obsession with her. Add to that his anger due to feeling a fool, and there were just too many emotions swirling within the typically brooding vampire. "Why would you keep yourself away from your mate? I don't understand. From everything I've seen and heard, that must have been incredibly painful. While I know I can be... difficult to reason with, even I know this is something that cannot be helped. You could have spoken to me."

Now that got Rosalie to turn around and face her brother in a hurry. While most emotions were off limits, anger was one that she was always willing to pull the trigger on. "Do not play all high and mighty with me Edward. I know exactly the pain you speak of since I have been dealing with it for these months while you've been a love sick puppy. Actually, no you were more obnoxious than that due to the fact that you couldn't allow yourself to be happy. Do you know how annoying it was to see you happy to be with the girl I love, but then in an instant see you brooding about it? You were lucky! Although it was against every belief in my body, you still got the opportunity to be with her, and half the time you treated it more like a burden than a gift. The only reason you are so calm now is because you nearly drained Bella dry. If it hadn't been for Carlisle you would have killed her." Rosalie's chest was heaving by the time she finished the rant that had been building for quite awhile. The action only annoyed her more since taking in air was utterly useless. Old habits like these were just a constant reminder of what the man she believed to love stole from her. The drunken idiot was the reason she was condemed to this life she hated, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

Although he had just came to the same conclusion moments ago, hearing it out loud did not make the news any easier to absorb. The pain that came along with them pained him more than the burning that was never fully quenched within his throat. He may not be Bella's mate, but that did not mean that he did not love her. That fact made everything just that much more painful. "Why? Why did you pretend to hate her? Why did you not even fight for her? Forgive me for acting pompous, but all of this is rather a lot to absorb in a short amount of time." His hand raked through his hair which caused it to stick out in all sorts of directions. Typically, he would be upset with any flaws in his appearance, but after everything that had happened in the last twenty for hours or so, caring about his hair was the least of his worries.

Three little letters put together created such an all encompasing question. No one that she had tried to explain it to so far had understood her reasonings which only made her become even more of a bitch than she usually was. Now though, the least she owed her brother was an explanation. If he was handling this without attempting to rip her head off, then she could at the very least try. "It has nothing to do with Bella. She is gorgeous, adorably uncoordinated, shy, and has the biggest heart out of anyone I have ever come across. The reason I am refusing to allow myself to openly love her is due to the fact that I do not deserve her. I am a vampire, Edward. I am a creature that survives off of the death of other beings. Bella is a human, and I cannot allow myself to become attached. Allowing her to grow old and die is too painful since I cannot imagine life without her if we actually formed the mate bond, and I refuse to take away her human life due to selfishness. So, I forced myself to stay away. I was rude to her to cease any desire she would have to get to know me, and I already said what you being with her helped achieve as well."

His typically confident sister appeared to be completely broken. Her eyes were downcast and hearing the thoughts of self hatred going around in her head only managed to make him wince. While he hated to admit it, Edward understood Rosalie's reasons since they were in many ways the same as his own. However, when it came to her and seeing the actual pain she was in, a part of him wanted her to reconsider. "More than anyone, I understand your intentions behind your actions, but if Bella is truly your mate, then you are hers. Rose, you are not only denying yourself the happiness that comes with a love that significant, but you are subjecting Bella to a life where she will settle. No matter who she finds, that person will not be made for her the way you are. I am not saying that I am completely alright with all of this. I am going to need some time to myself once this conversation is done, but there has to be another alternative." Edward couldn't help but wish that his sister was the one there having this conversation other than himself. While he was a very intellectual being, providing comfort was not exactly his strong suit. There wasn't much more he could offer his sister due to his own pain, but perhaps that helped more than he believed it did. After all, misery did always love company.

Rosalie gave her brother the smallest of smiles to thank him for trying, but she knew that there was no hope. Even if Bella somehow found a way to forgive her for all of her misgivings during the time they've known each other, there was no way that the blonde could allow herself to be so completely selfish. The world of the supernatural was no place for a human; especially when said human was as accident prone as her mate was. "I appreciate you understanding, and I apologize for the discomfort this is causing you. However, what is done is done. I have made my decision, and right now there is only one thing I am willing to do. For the first time since I have joined this family, I am going to ask for something just for me and hope that you all can support me in my decision. While I understand that you may not agree with it, everyone needs to realize that this is my choice to make."

Rosalie looked at her brother with so much emotion that it would be nearly impossible for him not to cave. While she was definitely too proud to beg vocally, her eyes said everything her words didn't. She was a centimeter away from being desperate, and there was no changing her mind now. Her worst nightmare had nearly come true when James bit into Bella's wrist, and she refused to allow things to go any further. "What do you need, Rose?"

His sister did not answer straight away. Instead, she turned back around to stare at the mountains even though Edward doubted that her eyes were really taking anything in. Her mind was to far gone for her to appreciate the beauty of anything in that moment. "To run," she said with a tone that left no room for arguments.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi again! I am happy I managed to get another chapter in before having to go to work tonight. Thank you so much to the people who took the time to rate, favorite, follow, and welcome me into this fandom. It gave me all kinds of happy feelings. **

**One thing before going forward, I know some people might wonder how the Cullens could go back to Forks after being gone for five years and you know, the whole not aging thing. In today's society, people look so much younger that I feel this is something they could get away with. I mean, I'm twenty four, and I still get carded all the time. So yeah. I know the Jake/Leah pairing may seem weird to some, but she was honestly the only person I could picture with Jake. I haven't decided if I wanted to included OC's or not yet into this story, so yeah. Again, R&amp;Rs make my a happy panda! Enjoy!**

_Chapter 1_

Four years have passed since Bella had left Forks, Washington for college and of course absolutely nothing had changed. The town was still as small, dreary, and moist as always. The moment she and Angela stepped out of the airport a sigh escaped her lips as she took in her surroundings. If it was up to Bella, she wouldn't be back there at all. The last time she was home was her sophomore year of college for her dad's wedding. Her old man had finally found love again with Sue Clearwater, and that was something that she couldn't miss celebrating. Add to that the fact that the wolves have not phased since the Cullens left, and she was even more overjoyed. Staying as far away from supernatural activity had been her priority for the last five years.

"Earth to Bella," she finally heard when a hand began waving energetically in front of her face. She turned in the direction of the offending limb and arched an eyebrow at her best friend. For the past six years, Angela had been her rock. She along with Jake helped get her out of her spiraling depression all those years ago, and she couldn't be more grateful. While a part of Bella's heart always ached for the family that had been so cruelly taken away from her, that pain became a bit easier every day.

Quickly shaking her head from going down that dangerous road towards memory lane, Bella sheepishly smiled at the girl beside her. "Sorry Angela. You know what this place does to me. Do we really have to stay here all summer?" Bella was proud that she was actually able to keep the slight whine out of her voice. The pout that quickly adorned her lips however, was totally out of her control.

Angela rolled her eyes at her best friend. While in many ways the other girl was the same, there were aspects of her that were different. Yes, she still was an embarrassed card member of the klutz club, but instead of constantly being a shy mess, she now stood up for herself when necessary. Angela always attributed this to the Woman Studies class Bella took during their time at Brown and teased her best friend about it endlessly. "You sound like a little kid who doesn't want to eat her vegetables. Look, it's only three months before we move out to Boston. We both know that our parents want to spend some time with us before we start off on the next stage of our lives. Plus, Jake is so excited to see you, and we both know you miss your favorite wing man more than you let on."

The brunette just rolled her eyes in response to Angela's words. While she often despised it, her long time best friend was usually right, and this time was not one of those rare exceptions. Charlie was never one for many words, but he showed how much he missed his daughter in the little things he did. The fact that the former Cheif of Police picked up the phone to call twice a week and sit through an incredibly awkward conversation was proof enough of this fact. He was incredibly proud of his little girl for what she's made of herself, but that didn't mean that he didn't wish she could've become a big shot editor closer to home. Luckily, his new life on the reservation kept him fairly entertained. When he retired two years ago, he was convinced that he was going to go stir crazy, but he then quickly realized that he had the opportunity to fish constantly which erased most doubts almost immediately.

Before Bella could even respond to the girl beside her, strong arms wrapped around her from behind and quickly lifted her off the ground. A squeal escaped from her lips as her knees bent in an effort to curl into herself. She was a hazard to herself with her feet safely on the ground nevermind being up in the air. "Jacob Black put me down," she said in the most stern voice she could muster. When all she was met with was a "nuh uh," and then some more twirling all she could do was huff before finally allowing a smile to grace her features. Angela was too busy cracking up at the scene to even help. "Some best friend she is," Bella mumbled to herself when she was placed back on the ground after a torturous two minutes. The people who were either going into the airport or leaving themselves looked at the scene fondly which caused the brunette to snort quietly. She wondered if they would still be looking at them that way if they knew she played for the other team so to speak.

When she turned around to look at her other partner in crime, he was wearing the biggest grin imaginable. "You know, a regular hug where I stayed on the ground would have worked too," she said to the rather large man. If she thought his growth spurt her senior year was big, there was nothing that would have prepared her for what Jake would look like when he finally stopped growing. Now, her childhood friend was easily six feet tall and about two hundred and forty pounds of pure muscle. While his washboard abs were according to him "to die for," he finally ended his shirtless phase while she was away at college.

"Where would the fun in that be," he replied. Since his famous greeting was now out of the way, he easily reached for Bella's bags and then turned to his other guest. "Good to see you again, Angela." He went to reach for her bags as well, but she quickly manuevered them away from his grasp and sent him a look that screamed not to be fucked with. Jacob put his hands up in mock surrender before leading the way to his truck. "See Bells, this is what a truck is suppossed to look like," he teased as he put the bags in the vehical's bed. Even though it had been at least three years since Bella's first car finally needed to be taken to the junk metal graveyard, jokes at her beloved truck's expense were still a frequent occurrance.

Not even bothering to reply, she quickly opened the door for herself and Angela. A couple of minutes later, and the three were on their way back to their hometown. Familiar conversation at first passed easily between the three, but it wasn't long until their favorite writer was off in her own head. Brown eyes gazed outside the front passenger window as trees flew by. If she had actually been focusing on the sight, Bella most likely would have become car sick, but her mind was off thinking about something different entirely. Coming back to Forks always reminded her of the Cullens which was why she preffered to stay as far away from the town as possible. Her heart no longer longed for the vampire who had honestly been more of an obsession, but instead missed other characteristics about the odd and slightly dysfunctional family. She often missed Esme's loving hugs, Carlisle's compassion, Alice's fashion obsession, and Emmett's sense of humor. Hell, she would even kill for one of Rosalie's death glares on some days. Years ago, anger used to completely cloud her opinion of the family she had once loved, but now all that remained were hurt feelings and emptiness. There were so many times when she considered going out and looking for them, but each time she talked herself out of it. Regular humans who didn't want to be found were nearly impossible to locate sometimes, so vampires could only be a million times worse.

Her thoughts didn't cease until Jake's truck came to a stop in front of Alice's childhood home. The girl put a supportive hand on her best friend's shoulder before getting out and bidding her goodbyes. Promises to call as soon as possible were made, and then she was off into the loving arms of her excited parents. The sight brought a small smile to Bella's lips as Jake drove off towards the reservation that was now where her family resided. The atmosphere within the vehicle quickly changed the moment the brunette's energetic best friend made an exit which caused her attention to turn to Jacob. Immediately she knew that there was something he wasn't telling her. His brow was furrowed deep in thought, and he was forcing his eyes to focus on anything other than the girl beside him. Add to that the slight tapping on the steering wheel, and it all added up to him keeping something away from her. "Alright, out with it Jake," Bella said with a sigh. "We both know you're a horrible liar, so don't even try saying it's nothing. If I don't get it out of you, then I'll just ask Leah, and we both know she'll tell me."

At the mention of his mate, Jake groaned and slouched slightly in his seat. The moment Leah phased and they laid eyes on each other, but wolves knew they were done for. All the years of teasing, pestering, and just down right pranking each other culminated into a love that was still very much the same as their rather turbulant friendship. It was incredibly amusing for others as well as cute to see when the two were caught in one of their tender moments. "You're not going to like it," he mumbled. Bella rolled her eyes at his stalling, but refused to say anything. If she did, they would just wind up going on a tangent to buy the man beside her more time. Instead, she gestured with her hand for him to get on with it which just brought on more grumbles before he sayed four words that she never thought she would hear again. "The Cullens are back."

Just like that, Bella's calm demeanor dissolved. Her heart rate picked up, her palms began to sweat, and her mind began thinking at warp speed. At first she wanted to call bullshit. It hasn't even been ten years since they left the last time, and there was no way they would need to leave the place they moved to that quickly. Plus, she was sure that there were other towns, hell even countries, they could move to besides Forks. There was Alaska were that other "vegetarian" coven that they mentioned once or twice lived, even though that concept made no sense to Bella. Yeah, it was cold and under populated, but with that half a year of barely any sunlight, came half a year with a lot more of it. Jake looked at her worriedly, but she had no words. The sole reason she had wanted to leave this town had actually come back, and she had no idea why. A part of her wanted answers while another part of her wanted to avoid that family as if they had the plague. Since no words came to mind, she just slammed her head into the headrest and closed her eyes. She knew that Boston would have been a much better idea.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the interest you've shown my story! I cannot tell you what it means to me. It definitely motivates me to keep going which is why you all are getting such fast updates. Haha. My next week at work is rather laid back, so the updates should keep coming at a steady pace. **

**Jay aka Jordan: I'm sure your OC is awesome! I'd include it, but I'm someone that takes characterization really seriously, and I would never be able to portray your character as well as you would. I do have an OC in mind for Emmett's mate which should be making an appearance next chapter. We shall see what I do with our dear Angela. **

**Shellmar: This is definitely going to be a slow burn story. There are many obstacles this duo needs to go through. They haven't even faced the life threatening drama yet. Things will get fun.**

**Now, enough of my rambling. Enjoy guys! **

_Chapter 2_

The sun was setting which only reminded Bella of just how much time she had spent sitting inside of Jake's truck. It's been three days since he informed her of the Cullen's return, and after a lot of debating with herself along with others, the brunette decided to visit them. Ironically, Jacob was the one who gave her the verbal kick in the ass she needed. If someone had told her years ago that Jacob Black was going to be telling her to go visit the Cullen family, Bella would have probably thought whoever the messenger was had a few screws loose. Years change things though, and most importantly, they change people.

When the Cullens left Bella all those years ago without a goodbye, Jake was initially livid. He had to sit there and witness his best friend become a shell of her former self. The nightmares, low self worth, and abandonment issues were all his job to fix, and it was a lot more complicated than just putting together a new engine. However, the shape shifter and Bella would never forget the day when his perspective about that particular coven changed. It happened when he went to visit his clumsy best friend her sophomore year. Much to his surprise, college helped Bella let loose which was why they had spent a night drinking at some bar near the campus that didn't bother to check IDs. After a couple of beers, Bella let out emotions that were only ever previously unleashed through her writing, and Jacob couldn't help but see the situation diffferently. Before his hatred was due to his culture's natural warriness and distrust towards vampires, but when all the facts were laid out before him, it was rather hard to argue that the Cullens should be hated solely based on principle. Yeah, they smelled worse than a rotten corpse, but the fact of the matter was that they were no harm to anyone.

Now, Edward was someone that he would always hate for a different matter entirely, but that day changed a lot of things which was why Bella was currently sitting in her childhood friend's truck. Even if Bella hated to admit that Jake was ever right, she couldn't deny that a part of her was still damaged from what the Cullens had done that day they decided to abandon a girl they called family. While she was not expecting her visitation to be a happy reunion filled with kumbayas, the brunette hoped that she could at the very least find closure. So after needing an hour to muster up the courage she needed, Bella started her drive to the destination that she knew all too well.

It had been years, but the route towards the Cullen mansion was one that she doubted she would ever forget. The memory of her last visit alone was one that haunted her dreams for years. It was hard to forget rushing over to the house that was typically filled with the people she loved and finding it completely empty. The image of tears running down her face as she collapsed in the middle of the massive living room was one that still made Bella cringe. Remembering just how weak and vulnerable she was back then always made her feel sick to her stomach. That family had destroyed her, and what was worse about it all was how she could never bring herself to hate them. For a long time she was angry, but moreso at her inability to forget them as easily as they had forgotten about her.

Sooner than Bella would have liked, the familiar mansion came into view. Her hands gripped the steering wheel of the Ford truck as she pulled up behind a rather fancy looking Porshe that she knew could only belong to Alice. A part of her heart still craved for this reunion to be a happy one, but her mind quickly squashed that naivity. She was not going to put herself in a position to get hurt again. This visit was only a chance for her to get some answers. All she wanted were a few explanations, so she could finally close this chapter of her life and completely move on. With a deep breath, Bella stepped out of the truck and made her way to the front door. Of course, before she could even raise her hand to knock, the door swung open to reveal none other than Alice.

For her part, the pixie vampire looked surprised. Golden eyes scanned Bella's features at least three times before she stepped aside without a word to allow the girl to enter. The vampire's face was filled with so many conflicted emotions that it was far too difficult to decipher them all, but there were a few that Bella could pick out: joy, pain, and regret. Bella's jaw clenched to stop herself from allowing the onslaught of words she wanted to yell to escape. Instead, she folding her arms over her chest and waited for someone to say something.

It was hard for a coven of vampires to not notice the fact that there was now a beating heart in their home, so one by one the others made their way down. Some of the looks on their faces were comical while others were just painful to witness. Emmett looked as if he was about to burst as he tried to confine his urge to wrap his youngest sister in a bear hug while Esme looked as if she would burst into tears at any moment if she could actually produce them. The most shocking reaction however was Rosalie's. Bella was expecting to see the typical look of dislike or indifference, but instead the pain that she saw reflected in those golden orbs was almost tangible. It confused the hell out of her, but luckily Carlisle's voice stopped her from being able to dwell on it for too long.

"Bella, it is wonderful to see you. We were unaware that you and your father still lived here." His voice was as genuine as she remembered it, but all her mind could do was scoff. Wonderful to see her? If they had valued her so much, they could have showed up sometime in the last five years instead of practically insinuating that they didn't expect her to be in the area when they returned.

Anger was not something that the Cullens ever saw from Bella. In their eyes she was just the strange human who was always kind albeit a little awkward and cared far too much about the comfort of others over her own. So, when her body screamed tension and one of her hands began to flex before making a fist once again they were a little surprised. "Let's not pretend that any of you actually care about me. To answer your silent question though, I don't live here anymore. I've been in Rhode Island the past four years for college and soon I'll be moving to Boston for work. I'm only here to spend some time with my dad and because Angela woulnd't stop bothering me until I gave into this so called vacation." Her words apparently hurt some of them, but in that mooment Bella didn't care. Did they honestly expect her to think that they cared about her? For people who were centuries old, they obviously had never heard the saying that actions speak louder than words. "The only reason I'm here is so I can ask you the one question that's been bothering me for the last five years. Why? Why did you all leave without even saying goodbye?"

The brunette hated how her voice cracked something at the end of that sentence due to the emotions that were slowly consuming her. When she felt a feeling of calm come over her, brown eyes immediately landed on Jasper. "Don't," she snapped. "Don't take away my pain just so you don't have to feel it. I've been dealing with this for years, so I'm used to it." The blonde in question put his hands up as a sign of acceptance, before taking a step back.

"Bella, I know this must be hard for you, but give us a chance to explain." Of course he would be one of the first ones to open his mouth. He always used to believe that he knew what was best for her which was really a crock of shit. "Maybe I should tell him he turned me gay," Bella thought to herself. While it was definitely a lie, she knew crap like that typically wounded guys' egos which she wasn't above doing in that moment. Edward then attempted to step forward towards her, but stopped the moment he saw his ex girlfriend take a step backwards immediately afterwards. A frown formed on his face, but he didn't push.

Bella's patience was quickly wearing thin. How could they look all sad and hurt when they were the ones who left? There was no one forcing them to leave. What they did was something they choose to do, so if they wanted any sort of pity, they were barking up the wrong tree. While a part of the brunette still loved them, she was not going to let them know that anytime soon. Luckily her anger was currently overpowering everything else, so Jasper couldn't detect anything. "You explained enough. You told me you didn't want me and then gave me some crap about my safety. Look, really I don't care about our past relationship. Yeah, it took me awhile to get over it, but what I still can't get over is how all of you left me. I considered you family, and I thought you saw me the same way, but apparently I meant so little to you all that you couldn't even grace me with a passing thought." By this point, Bella's voice had lost most of it's hostility. All that remained was the sadness that she had been carrying with her for so long. She would give anything to not feel it anymore. The weight of it was far too heavy, and she was just so tired.

"You cannot say that we do not care for you. We did what we had to. It was not a decision that was easy for us to make, but we did what we believed was best for you." Hearing Alice's voice made Bella's whole body tense more than it already was. Out of everyone, the pixie's betrayal was the one that had stung the most. For months Bella would write to her hoping that she would hear something, anything, back, but nothing ever came. Hearing those words from the girl that the brunette once considered her best friend caused the emotions that were slowly bubbling beneath the surface to topple over. "First off, who's fault is that, Alice?," Bella finally yelled in response. "Seriously? If that is how you all show how you care, then please stop caring about me. You left me alone in the hospital after sending Edward to do all of your dirty work. At least you made sure that I was stable before taking off, but you just left. Someone just stop feeding me the same crap of you all just wanting to protect me and tell me the truth."

Her heart was beating at an almost frantic rate by that point, but Bella couldn't bring herself to care. While she didn't like them all very much right now, she still trusted them with her life. Whether that was stupid or not she would soon find out, but thinking rationally was beyond her capabilities in that moment. Her head was spinning, but everything came to a hault when the last voice she ever expected to give her the time of day spoke up and gave her the answer she had so desperately been craving. "We left because I begged them to." The smooth, calm voice was one that still sent chills up Bella's spine. Years ago she had craved nothing more than for Rosalie to acknowledge her for some reason that she never fully understood. Bella just chalked it up to wanting to get along with her boyfriend's family, and the gorgeous blonde was the only one standing in her way of that being a complete success.

Bella turned her body towards Rosalie and her eyes narrowed. She had known that the vampire had never liked her, but she never thought things would be taken this far. "I know you hated me, but did you really hate me this much? Do you have any idea what all of you leaving did to me? What did I ever do to make you dislike me this much?" As much as Bella wanted to close the space between her and the girl leaning against the stairs, she knew that would be far too stupid even for her. Pissing off a vampire and getting in their personal space was not something she was going to do no matter how much she might trust them. Everything did have their limits after all.

The words hit the blonde much harder than she could have ever prepared herself for. Pain immediately encompassed her dead heart to the point where the sheer force could have brought her to her knees. Before leaving had been so much easier, but now Rosalie knew she would not be able to put herself through that again. There was no way she would survive it. She could no longer afford to be a coward, so with as much determination as she could muster, Rosalie forced her eyes to lock with the brown ones she adored. "I did not do what I did because I hate you but because I love you."


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Alright guys, Chapter 3 is finally here! Now, before any of you freak out, this is going to be a slow burn story. I want to make all development realistic. I good news though! I finally got the vision for my villain! I didn't just want to use Victoria, but she is going to be incorporated too. Bwahaha. Also, thank you all so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites. Seriously, I really appreciate it, and they make me smile.**

**Jay aka Jordan: I might be messaging you to plot this sometime soon! :D **

_Chapter 3 _

There were many scenarios that had passed through Bella's mind when she decided to visit the Cullens, but the one she was currently placed in was definitely not one of them. After Rosalie's last words, the living room was dead quiet. No one knew what to say as they just waited for the human to react to the information she was just given. Alice was desperately trying to see what the brunette's reaction would be to give her sister some piece of mind, but Bella wasn't making any concrete decisions.

Realizing that this was a conversation that needed to happen in private, the rest of the family began making their way out of the living space. Privacy was not something they could actually provide due to their exceptional hearing, but they could at least not stand there and stare. When Emmett moved to go into the backyard, he placed a hand on Rosalie's shoulder. Words were not his strong suit, so he settled for providing his sister with silent comfort instead of somehow putting his foot in his mouth. The blonde smiled at his effort and nodded her head to show her best friend that is was alright for him to leave her. This conversation was one that she couldn't afford to keep running away from, and while she wasn't sure just how much she would wind up telling her mate, she knew that the girl deserved some answers.

Bella for her part didn't know what to think. There were so many questions flashing in her mind that she was having a hard time differentiating them. Her brows furrowed and she bit her lip as she tried to make sense of the curve ball she had just received. As sad as it was, accepting that Rosalie took away her family out of hatred was easier than the truth she was now presented with. The writer was so obsorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that the very girl who was causing her a migraine had moved to stand in front of her. It wasn't until a cold hand touched her forearm, that Bella flinched, stepped back, and focused once again on the situation at hand. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't notice that you were so, um, close."

While it was difficult, Rosalie managed to keep the hurt from Bella's reaction from showing on her features. It was if her body was split in half. The rational part of her knew that the reaction was to be expected and even deserved, but the irrational part of her only saw rejection. The beast within her knew that Bella was her mate and keeping herself from treating the girl as such was hard enough without the desire to prove that love. "You have questions." It was a statement rather than a question, but Bella still nodded her head anyway. All of her bravado and anger was now clouded by confusion which brought her typical awkward disposition back in full force. Before she thought she knew what to expect which is what made her speech and confidence so easy, but now everything felt uncertain. "I know this is hard to believe, but you can ask anything you'd like. I cannot promise that I will answer all of your questions now, but I can promise that I will not bite your head off or any other unpleasant analogy you may have pictured in your mind." The side of Rosalie that Bella was now witnessing, was the one that her family has always known. While she had the capabilities of being quite harsh and vain, those were small parts of her in comparison to her love and protective nature that she held for those she cared for. Her rather icey disposition was more of a way to keep others at a distance due to her own hatred for what she was forced to become. She viewed herself as a monster which therfore led her to beleive that love and kindness was not something she deserved.

"How do you expect me to believe that you love me? Rosalie, you could hardly stand to be around me." Bella's eyes were downcast as she focused on her worn out chucks. She couldn't bring herself to look keep eye contact with the beauty before her. While it had been a long time since they were last in the same space, the brunette was still just as intimidated by the blonde as she was all those years ago.

A sigh escaped Rosalie's lips as she inwardly cursed herself for the way she had treated Bella back then. While she did have her reasons, she knew that she only acted the way she did out of fear. She will never forget the complete and utter terror she had felt when her eyes first landed on Bella. The feeling that came over her was overwhelming and stronger than anything she had ever felt in all of her years. It felt wonderful for a split second before she remembered what it truly meant. Loving someone meant becoming vulnerable once again. It meant opening herself up to the potential of heart shattering pain. She had believed that she was in love once before, and that had cost Rosalie her life. Jumping back into a game with such high risks was not something that she was not yet ready to do again. Add to that the fact that Bella was a human who not only endangered her family but also herself, and it was enough of a logical reason to convince herself to stay away. Now though she realized that none of those explanations were good enough. None of them could justify the amount of pain she had caused the girl she claimed to love. All she could do was hope that she was given a chance to make things right. "What reason do I have to lie to you? I do not expect you to forgive me easily, but I am telling you the truth. My family was very reluctant to leave you. They only did so after hours of me pleading my case to them. Everyone wanted to say goodbye to you, Bella, but everyone knew that if they did, they would not have the will power to go through with leaving." Rosalie's mind flashed back to the night she had visited the brunette in the hospital after everything with James. Her parents were both asleep as she quietly made her entrance and attempted to hold back the dry heaving sobs that her body wanted to release. She remembered whispering and apology before she made her way back out into the night with the intentions to never see Bella Swan again. The first year away had oddly been the easiest due to her belieft that she had done what was best, but as time continued to pass, her heart ached. Her logic was becoming less and less sound as thoughts of Bella growing old and finding another to love taunted her. With each day she became more miserable, and her family had no idea how they could help for they knew the pain of losing one's mate was like no other.

"If you do love me, then why did you want to leave? I'm so upset at all of you, but I've still always loved you all. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make myself hate you guys. You might be vampires and see yourselves as monsters or whatever, but you all were my family." A tear made itself down Bella's cheek, and she quickly moved to wipe it away with the sleeve of her flannel shirt. She was so tired of crying over all of this. How she still had tears to shed over it all was beyond her. It was frustrating, but not more frustrating than the small part of her that wanted to just throw herself into the arms of the people she had missed so much. There was a desire to forgive them which her mind quickly dismissed.

Tired of the girl refusing to make eye contact, Rosalie hestitantly reached out and gently guided her face up with her hand. Once brown eyes met hers, she smiled and reluctantly pulled her hand back to her side. "That's better," she said with a small amount of playfullness to her voice. While there was no doubt that the conversation they were having was serious, the blonde still had missed Bella. Any small and somewhat reasonable excuse she could find to reach out, she would take advantage of. "My reason is the same excuse you have grown tired of hearing. You do not agree with my reasoning, Bella, but you must understand that I would give anything to be human again. When I was turned, I was not grateful to still be alive. I was repulsed by what I was forced to become. I wanted to protect you from all of the dangers that come along with this life, but I can admit there were some flaws to my thinking. You, Bella, are not unintelligent and are more than capable of making your own choices. While I may not agree with them, I nor anyone else has the right to take away your right to make those decisions. If you choose to allow my family and I back into your life, I will not fight you on said decision. I will defend you with my life and more than likely be far more protective than you will believe necessary, but we would stay if you'd have us." If the organ was capable of it, Rosalie was positive that her heart would be beating erratically. There she was a seventy three year old vampire acting as if she was a mere school girl again. The feeling was one that had not been felt in awhile, and although her overall feeling was nervous of the brunette's response, she couldn't help but smile. Only Bella Swan could bring back some old human emotions to a vampire.

Bella for her part was shocked. There was no reason for her to be skepitcal of anything Rosalie was saying since everything about her words appeared genuine. It was almost hard for the writer to believe that the woman before her really was the same vampire she remembered. The sarcasm and coldness was gone and instead replaced with remorse and care. Not only had she admitted that she was wrong for her actions and apologized, but she also was asking for permission for the Cullens to be allowed back into her life. When she was with Edward, he would often tell her things. He believed he knew what was best and rarely would actually ask her about important matters. Yet, here was Rosalie allowing her to make her own decision on the matter even though she knew there was a large chance she would not agree with it. "I can't just accept you all back into my life as if you didn't abandon me, but we can try to move past that. I don't know what will happen by the end of the summer, but it's only May. We'll focus on that when we get there I guess."

The answer brought a huge smile onto Rosalie's face, but before she was able to even say anything back, Emmett sped past her and wrapped Bella up into a bear hug. The brunette squealed, but resisted from hitting the vampire on the back to put her down. While she had forgotten just how fast they all were, she did remember that doing that would hurt her far more than it would them. After a moment, the big goof put her back down while wearing a big smile on his face. "Thanks for this, Bella. Maybe now Rose won't be mopping around the house like someone broke all of her mirrors." That just earned him a smack on the back of the head which barely even effected him anymore. After so many years, he had to just be used to it.

Next in was Alice who wasted no time in opening her arms up for Bella. With a roll of her eyes, the brunette walked forward and allowed herself to be embraced by her old best friend. An apology was whispered into her ear which she nodded in response to. There was nothing else she could really say to them as each member of the family relayed the same two words. The most common response to apologies was saying that it was okay, but in her heart that couldn't be further from the truth. So instead, she simply accepted their words and kept saying that they would work on it. Esme and Carlisle immediately offered to whip her up something to eat which this time she agreed to. "Just keep Rosalie away from the salad," she joked which heard her an eyeroll from the blonde.

The atmosphere was slightly more relaxed now that things were out in the open. As they all sat down on the couches, Bella noticed that one person was missing. "Where did Edward go?" While she wasn't in love with him anymore, she would be lying if she said that there were no feelings there at all. They were no longer romantic, but he was the first person who she ever loved which ensured him a spot in her heart.

"He went out to hunt and do some thinking. He has always been one who digests information best on his own. I am sure he will want to speak with you when he is ready," Carlisle explained. Truthfully, the man was worried about his son. When they had been away, Edward had accepted the fact that Rosalie was Bella's true mate in stride, but things were almost much more difficult to take in when they were right in front of you. Seeing that he no longer had the effect on Bella as he once did on top of the thoughts Carlisle was sure his eldest son could hear from his sister most likely affected the vampire more than he anticipated. "Anyway Bella, inform us on what you have been up to since we left. You mentioned college, yes?"

The subject change to much lighter topics was appreciated by everyone as Bella got more comfortable on the couch. A smile appeared on her face as she thought about college and her experiences over the last four years. "I did. I wound up attending Brown University with Angela. We were roommates all four years, and I'm sure she will be dying to tell you all embarassing stories about me the moment she has the chance." Just thinking about the drunken nights and very few hook ups gone wrong that her best friend found hilarious caused Bella to roll her eyes. Although the brunette was far from a party animal in college, she did have her moments of fun. College was the time to find oneself after all, and one could only do that through experiences. Everyone chuckled slightly at the idea of the stories they would hear since most of them had gone to college a few times in their lives. "I wound up majoring in English, traveled abroad, and the job I got in Boston is as an editor."

Most people would be very proud and bragging about their accomplishments, but Bella was just as modest and shy as ever. When everyone seemed impressed, she merely blushed and looked down at her lap for a moment before facing everyone again. "Please do not tell me that you actually contributed to the ridiculous vampire craze that has hit nearly every fiction book in the country," Rosalie said with a groan. That got everyone including Bella to laugh loudly. Just the thought of writing something about vampires seemed ridiculous to the brunette. Firstly, she would have to at least vaguely follow the "traditional," rules of vampires created by previous writers which were mostly fiction. Since she had actual knowledge of vampires' lifestyles, that alone would be something very hard to do.

"Don't worry," Bella said once she got her laughing under control. "I haven't added to the belief that you can be killed with a stake to the heart or that you have a serious aversion to garlic." The group sighed in mock relief before chuckling once more. Soon after Esme entered the room with a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for Bella which she was very grateful for. Due to her nerves about showing up unannounced, she had barely eaten all day which was apparently catching up to her.

Rosalie smiled as she listened to her family catch up with Bella. After she vaguely explained everything, things were not at all back to normal, but they at least were on the road to getting there. The road ahead was still a difficult one for her, however. Since Bella for some reason couldn't seem to fathom the blonde loving her in a way that was not sisterly, Rose was going to have to confess her true feelings. A part of her was dying to do so right then, but she knew that too much information being thrown at the brunette was not the course to take. First, she needed to gain her friendship and show her kindness, and then she can attempt to win her heart. It would take much more patience, but she was a vampire. One thing she had was an abundance of was time.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Here is a rather long chapter for you all to enjoy! I had quite a bit of fun writing it, so I hope you all enjoy reading it just as much. Your feedback has been wonderful! I love reading each of your reviews and seeing how you feel about this as we continue on this journey. I know I say this a lot, but I honestly cannot thank you enough. **

_Chapter 4_

Three days passed since Bella's reunion with the Cullens, and things felt surprisingly calm. The last time the family had been in her life, there had been an almost car accident, attempt at assault, and of course the whole being tracked by a vampire thing. Now though, things were fairly normal which almost made her weary. Living on the reservation was a bigger relief than she thouhgt it would be. It allowed her to see the Cullens on her terms which made the healing process a little easier. While she was sure they would give her space to handle things on her own, she felt in control this way. The only downside was how thoroughly she had to shower before seeing any of the vampires since they constantly complained about the smell.

When she had informed Angela, the girl had been more excited about the news than she was. While the girl had always been a bit of a gossip, she took things to a whole new level when the brunette mentioned the once infamous family. It didn't take long for her best friend to suggest a hang out which was why the writer was now standing in her bra and underwear in front of her closet contemplating what to wear. Typically, she honestly would not care too much, but since two of the vampires that would be in attendance just happened to be huge fashionistas, more care than just the typical flannal shirt was required. After going through about three different combinations, her phone chimed on her bed. When she read the text message, she nearly rolled her eyes at what she read. _"You're going to choose those jeans that hug your body rather perfectly along with the burgendy long sleeved, v-neck top. The outfit is acceptable, but we must do something with those worn shoes."_ Once she teased Alice about the possibility of her peaking on her in her underwear, she picked out the aforementioned clothing and quickly got dressed.

The group that was going to the bar was a strange one to say the least. Angela, Jacob, herself, Rosalie and Alice was not something that she would have herself suggested, but everyone else seemed on board. At first Bella had believed that Jacob was only going to ensure her safety, but she was embarrassed to say that his maturity had surprised her. He admitted that the Cullens were always going to be a big part of her life, and if that was the case, then he owed it to her to try and get along with them. Even though the action was small, the gesture touched her much more than she thought it would. She remembered all too well how strange and somewhat difficult it was when Jacob had despised the coven of vampires, and that was something she did not wish to worry about on top of all the other thoughts swirling in her mind.

When the trio arrived at the dive bar, Rosalie and Alice were both already waiting. Bella led the way to the table and was immediately engulfed into a hug by an overly excited pixie. The enthusiasm brought a small laugh out of the brunette whose eyes then traveled over to Rosalie. The blonde looked more relaxed than Bella would have expected. There was a smile on her face as she watched her sister's antics and greeted Angela. Once Alice finally released the writer, Rosalie stood gave her own embrace. "Right," Bella said awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her neck. Jacob snorted behind her and called her mini Charlie under his breath which earned him an elbow to the ribs he didn't even feel. "You guys remember Angela and Jacob, right?"

"Of course we do," Rosalie quickly replied. "I apologize for not taking the time to get to know you back in high school, Angela. Let's just say that I was rather obsorbed in myself in those days. Luckily, time allows people the opportunity to grow." It was obvious that the blonde was trying her hardest to make a good impression. Redeeming herself in the eyes of her mate went far beyond simply apologizing for her misgivings. Rose was adament about Bella remaining a human for as long as possible which meant that the vampire needed to cement herself in that life.

Angela quickly waved off the apology. "Please, don't even worry about it. You do remember that I hung out with the likes of Jessica and Lauren, right?" Just the mention of those names caused Bella to groan which earned her a laugh from around the table. "Plus, you had that boyfriend of yours to keep you occupied. If all girls had boyfriends that looked as hot as both of yours in high school, then I doubt they would have paid much attention to anything else either. Well, everyone except for Bella."

Seeing that she was going to be in for a night of light teasing, the brunette deemed it necessary for them to get alcohol as soon as possible. She waved down the waitress, who skipped over as soon as she was done with a nearby table. "Hi, what can I get you all?"

Her deamanor was incredibly friendly as her eyes practically stayed glued to Jacob. The boy in question looked very uncomfortable under her gaze which made it difficult for Bella to not burst out laughing. "I'm assuming you two want your usuals," she asked her best friends which only gave her nods in response. "Alright then, I'll have a Magic Hat #9, she'll have a Blue Moon, and this guy wants a Guiness."

"Simple enough," the waitress said once she finished writing it all down. Her attention turned to Rose and Alice soon after, but Bella cut her off before she could even make the offer. One thing she didn't want them to have to do was come up with some awkward excuse even though they were pretty used to it. "Don't even bother with those two. One is our designated driver, and the other doesn't like to drink." The girl shrugged in response before hurrying off to get their drinks.

Rosalie leaned over to get closer to Bella as soon as the girl left the table. "Thank you," she whispered in the brunette's ear. The blonde's hand grazed her wrist on the table which caused goosebumps to quickly appear on Bella's fair skin. Choosing not to respond out of somehow making a fool out of herself, she only nodded in response. To her surprise, Rose only pulled away to return Bella's personal space, but she didn't move her chair away.

Their beers were soon brought over which allowed them all to return to their conversation. Alice took Bella's beer bottle to just see what it smelled like which only caused her nose to wrinkle. She quickly returned it and shook her head. Since she had no recollection of her human life, the pixie would never understand how something that smelled so horrid could ever be appetizing.

"So," Angela started things up again. "How are your boyfriends?"

Alice's face lit up at the mention of Jasper as it typically did. Seeing love like that made a small amount of jealousy creep up within Bella. It was something that she hadn't been able to find since her relationship with Edward. Typically it didn't bother her since she often preferred to be alone, but there were moments when the longing would creep up on her. "He's wonderful! We are happier than ever. He is still just as shy as you most likely remember, but he has broken out of his shell recently so to speak. He has gotten better at being around people. Before his social skills were rather awkward." It amazed Bella how accustomed the Cullens were to adapting their stories so they were human friendly. If she were in their position, she would be stumbling over her words more than she typically did. The image alone caused her to internally wince.

"Emmett and I are no longer together." The moment those words hit her ears, Bella was immensely grateful for the fact that she hadn't just taken a sip of her drink because she was positive she would have spit it out all over the table. How in the world had she missed that? Her head whipped around to face the blonde who only gave her a small smile. Knowing that she would be hit by an onslaught of questions by the brunette beside her, Rose decided to answer the obvious ones before that occurred. "We weren't the ones for one another. I know it seems rather foolish, but I am a hopeless romantic at heart. While I love Emmett, we had run our course as a couple. He is now happy with another woman named Dannielle who I very much like for him."

Bella's head felt like it was spinning, and it wasn't due to the alcohol she was putting in her system. She still couldn't wrap her head around what she was hearing. Emmett and Rose were suppossed to be mates. Well, that was at least what she had always believed. "Was she there when I went over the other day?"

The question got both Alice and Rose to giggle slightly as they nodded their heads. "I'm not surprised you didn't notice though. You were rather angry and on quite the roll with your speech."

Alice's words only managed to make Bella blush which caused everyone else to laugh even harder. She rolled her eyes and playfully stuck their tongues out at them all before taking another long swig of her drink. "So, what about you three? Any boyfriends or a girlfriend in your case, Jacob?" Rose's question was out of polite curiousity, but she would be lying if she said that she was not personally invested in a certain girl's response. With everything that had occurred in their house, there was never an appropriate time to ask such a question. Needless to say, the curiousity of it all was killing the blonde.

"I've been dating Leah Clearwater for about three years," Jacob answered first. Although he tried to hid it by taking another sip of his own beer, the smile that appeared on his face was obvious. Bella awed at his cuteness and went to pinch the boy's cheeks which he quickly swatted away.

Once Angela got her laughter under control from watching Jacob and Bella playfully grumble at one another, she was able to inform that she was single. Her relationship with Ben had lasted a long while, but when she and Bella had studied abroad in Europe her junior year, the distance had just proven to be far too much for their relationship. "As for Bella, she hasn't been with anyone serious since I walked in on her and that girl Kelly our sophomore year." Jacob burst into laughter at the memory since he had been there. Angela had just picked him up from the airport as a surprise for Bella's birthday when they walked in on that interesting morning.

Rosalie attempted to keep her jealousy under control by telling herself it was only natural for Bella to have been with other people. While the beast inside her liked to believe otherwise, she did not lay any claim over the girl. "Girl," she managed to question after taking many breaths in and our to calm her anger. More words than that would have wound up sounding much more snippy than necessary, so she decided to keep things short.

Bella for her part was still beat red from the incredibly embarrassing memory of being walked in on. If she could offer Angela and Jacob any amount of money to keep that story from ever being mentioned again, she would happily empty out her bank account. "Um, yeah," she finally managed to mumble. "That's part of why seeing Edward again didn't really bother me. Like yeah it was awkward, but not because of feelings or anything like that. I found out my sophomore year that I like girls and haven't looked back since."

_"Well, that at least tilts things slightly in my favor,"_ Rose thought to herself. While she wasn't overly thrilled by the information, she knew deep down that it was for the best. She has always loved Bella, but it was obvious now that the girl had a much stronger sense of who she was which was not only beneficial for anything they may pursue, but it was also incredibly sexy. Yes, she was still the adorable awkward girl who could trip over thin air, but she held herself higher now. Since sexuality was such a large issue in the current generation, she was glad that was something the brunette had already come to terms with herself.

The rest of the night passed in the same fashion. More drinks were had by those who could drink, and more laughs were shared. Bella finally got some vengence when she told some stories about Angela while they were in England, and Jacob threw in a few tales of Bella when they were kids which, in her opinion, included one too many mud pies. Everything however turned sour when none other than Mike Newton approached Bella with a lot of help from liquid courage.

"Arizona," he practically yelled. "It's great to see you. I've missed you a lot since we graduated." His speech was slurred, and his hands were being a little too grabby for the brunette's liking. She was so focused on making sure he kept them to himself and didn't fall over that he failed to notice just how protective two members of the table were becoming.

"Hey, Mike. It's good to see you too," Bella replied slowly.

Although her words were said with little to no enthusiasm, they still brought a large grin onto the man's face. "I knew you did. Why don't you say we get out of here and really catch up?" The fact that his eyes were glazed over due to alcohol only made his leers that much more creepy. Bella knew that Mike was a good guy who could just get a little too overbearing in the presence of a girl he found attractive. Alcohol unfortunately had the tendency to highlight the worst traits within people which made him far more pushy than made her feel comfortable. She politely turned down his offer by stating that she was out having a good time with her friends, but the boy only took that as her playing hard to get which was a saying Bella never truly understood. In the brunette's opinion, whatever girls actually used that tactic needed to be smacked over the head for causing others so much trouble.

Before she could get the chance to turn him down again, Rosalie was now stading and inching closer to Mike, however it was Jake who forcibly made him take a few steps back. "She said she wasn't interested Newton, so I think you better go." Jacob's voice was deep and his body was practically shaking with anger. She reached out to touch his shoulder, and the quickly rising temperature only confirmed her suspicions. She needed to get Jake out of there as quickly as possible before things took a rather supernatural turn.

"Jake, calm down," she whispered.

The boy wasn't listening though. He couldn't calm down until Mike was no longer a threat. So, to further assert his dominance, Jake stepped further into the man's personal space which got him to stumble back until he finally retreated out of the bar. Unfortunately, Jacob's temper wasn't calming down. Although it had been awhile since he last phased, he could never forget what it felt like. Now that there were vampires back in the area, his bloodline was once again becoming active which only meant danger. He turned his body towards the last two people he ever thought he would see as potential allies. "Can you take Angela home and maybe have Bella stay with you for the night? I'm not feeling too well, and I know the reservation is out of the way." He looked to Bella to see if she minded the change in plans, but she quickly shook her head. She knew that Jacob never liked having her around when he changed due to the dangers that came along with it. The scar on Sam Uley's wife's face was forever a reminder of that gruesome fact.

The Cullens were caught off guard by his request. In the past, the Quilettes made it abundantly clear that they did not trust vampires no matter what their dietary preferences were. In their eyes, all of them were the same. Yet, there Jacob was entrusting them with someone he loved like family. They should have known that Bella would be the catalyst for many changes the moment she stepped foot into Forks. "Of course," Rosalie answered. "Feel better, Jacob. I'm sorry that you aren't feeling well."

The boy nodded in thanks before bidding his goodbyes quickly and leaving the bar. From that moment, the mood had severely shifted, and the girls noticed just how late it was getting. Alice offered to take care of their tab and would not take no for an answer. Rose pointed out how funny it was that Bella still attempted to argue with her even after all of this time. The brunette grunted as eloquently as ever in response.

As they made their way to the pixie's car, Rosalie walked closely to Bella. "I am the only one in the house who has her own bedroom aside from Edward. Would you mind staying with me? I do have a bed that you should find comfortable."

The offer took Bella by surprise, but she quickly nodded in response. Staying with her ex boyfriend was definitely more awkward than she ever wanted to experience, and so far the brunette was enjoying getting to know the softer side of Rosalie. Out of all the Cullens, she and Jasper were the ones that she knew the least, and that evening appeared to offer her the opportunity to remedy at least one of those. Perhaps the night could still end on a good note after all.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: So, fun fact, my girlfriend writewhatyoulove is also writing a Rosella fic called Can't Even Trust Myself, and we both love how we share some of the same reviewers. Since she is the more shy one out of the two of us, I am going to publically thank those faithful reviewers out there for both of us. Seriously, you guys are awesome. If it takes me awhile to update though, it's because we both like to write on the iPad, and we only have one. Haha. Anywho, enjoy!**

_Chapter 5_

Alice immediately went off to join the rest of the family who were all out hunting when the trio arrived at the house. The car ride had been incredibly silent after they had dropped Angela off, but Bella didn't mind. She was far too focused on the fact that she had been back in Forks for barely a week, and things were already beginning to stir. Compared to past troubles it was practically nothing, but she still wasn't too fond of it. Apparently she had gotten accustomed to her dull life while in college.

Rosalie led Bella to her room, and the brunette had to admit that it fit the blonde's personality very nicely. The walls were painted a bright yellow, the furniture was a dark brown, and there was a large mirror attached to the dresser which was covered with more hair and makeup products than the brunette believed to be necessary. Why someone has gorgeous as Rosalie felt the need for such things was beyond her. The blonde was currently rummaging through her drawers to find something for Bella to sleep in even though the brunette had told her that it wasn't necessary. There had been many nights over the last four years where she had crashed in her jeans, but Rose refused to hear any of it.

After a couple of minutes the blonde handed Bella a pair of yoga pants and a yellow t shirt. "My bathroom is right through there," she said while pointing to the door that connected her room to a rather large ensuite bathroom.

"Of course you would have your own bathroom," was the writer's playful reply before she went off to change. When she pulled the shirt over her head, she couldn't help but sigh contently at the smell. The scent smelled like rosemary, peppermint, and just a hint of lemon which immediately caused every muscle within Bella's body to relax. Deciding that she had spent enough time sniffing the vampire's shirt like a creeper, she quickly put her hair up in a messy bun before heading back into the room. Rose had decided to make herself comfortable on her bed and patted the space beside her when she heard the bathroom door click open.

Golden eyes scanned over the brunette's body appreciatively. The yoga pants clung to Bella's curves perfectly, and there was the added bonus of seeing the other woman in her clothes. The bed dipped as Bella got into the bed, and Rose had to surpress a frown when she noticed the amount of space that was left between them. As always though, her face remained stoic as she gazed at the ceiling. "I enjoyed myself this evening. Your friends care a great deal about you, and I am happy you had them by your side the last couple of years. Just because I would not allow myself to take care of you does not mean that I did not worry occasionally."

Bella rolled onto her side to face the beautiful vampire and bit her lip as she thought of the best way to reply. A part of her still wanted to snap out of anger for all of the turmoil that she had been put through, but she forced that down. It frustrated her to no end, but she could tell that there still was something the other woman wasn't telling her. However, if she proded too much, she got the sense that Rosalie was the type to simply shut down. Although it was against every urge within her that just wanted to satisfy her curiosity, the writer attempted to remain patient. She was happy that the vampire had enjoyed herself that evening, but they had spent enough time focusing on her and her friends in Bella's opinion. Now she wanted a chance to focus on the woman next to her and make up for lost time. "You could have kept me safe if you let yourself act like you do now around me. I mean, I know I was with Edward back then, but I saw how you acted when James, Victoria, and Laurent first showed up that day in the clearing. You were in front of everyone crouched down and ready to fight." The day was one Bella remembered all too well. Even though it ended in the worst way possible, she couldn't help but smile at the memory of playing baseball with her family. It was easily one of the best memories she had.

The memory caused a different reaction within Rosalie. She hated that she had allowed herself to be taken away from her mate out of fear of not being able to keep her protective urges in check. Back then, her emotions were so turbulent that she felt as if she would lose her grip on them at any moment. So, instead of going to Phoenix, Rose opted to stay in Forks and look over Charlie, and that decision plagued her mind every day since. The what ifs constantly danced inside her mind to the point where Edward often needed to seperated himself from her presence. She would always wonder if she could have protected Bella better than her brother had and hearing such a firm belief from the girl herself caused her heart to ache. Guilt encompassed her for a moment until she scolded herself. Remaining in the present was critical if she was going to get anywhere. The past was not something she could change, but the future she still had control of. "I remember that day clearly. I was far more worried for your well being than I let on which I suppose is my theme for things concerning you."

"Why did you pretend to dislike me so much," Bella mumbled quietly. She knew that with other people she might have managed to get away with them not actually hearing her question, but there was absolutely no chance of that when you were in a house filled with vampires. Even though she had asked the question when she first came back into the Cullens lives, she couldn't help but feel like the blonde was holding something back. There was a resistance there even now when they were together which she oddly wanted to do away with.

Rose sighed when she heard the question and shut her eyes. The one thing she remembered very clearly about Isabella Swan was the fact that she was a very curious being. She would not accept the same answer regurgitated over and over. The brunette was perceptive and had an odd ability to see when people were not being completely honest with her. This put the vampire in a very difficult position. She did not want to lie to her mate anymore. Years of doing so had done nothing but cause unnecessary pain and heartache, but she was fairly positive that Bella was not ready to hear the truth. "My brother believed once that he was your mate. What is your opinion on that now?" She knew that the question would most likely throw the other woman for a loop, but Rose needed to know what her views on the matter were. Things needed to be explained if she ever hoped to tell Bella the truth, and that included explaining what her brother's attraction to her truly was.

Bella's brow furrowed adorably at her question being answered with a seemingly off topic question, but she decided to play along. Trying to understand the beauty beside her was never her strong suit after all. "Honestly, I don't know. I did love Edward, and I know a part of me always will in some sense, but even though he is over a century old, I feel like we were just puppy love teenagers. I mean, if I really was his mate, then leaving me would not have been as simple as it was for him. We were so caught up in each other, and I just, I don't think that's what love is supposed to be I guess." Pale fingers began toying with the hem of the borrowed t-shirt she was wearing as she spoke. Love was a subject that she was much more passionate about than people would assume. She was a writer. The beauty, pain, and inticate complications of love was the ultimate challenge to convey properly. There were millions of stories that spoke about the wonders of love, but there were very few that spoke about the true difficulties it brings as well. Society for some reason was hell bent on portraying love as simple when really the intricate web of compromise and sacrifice is what made it that much more beautiful.

The conversation had taken a turn she was not expecting, but a large part of her craved to hear the brunette's explanations. Even when she was human, all Rose had ever craved was true love and a family. Yes, she had received an abundance of attention from many men, but all they ever appreciated her for was her beauty and the possibility of getting under her skirt. The one man she believed she could grow to love showed his true colors in the most vile of ways. For nearly a hundred years, the blonde has lived without the one thing she wanted most, and now it was so painfully close, yet appeared to be miles away. "What do you believe love is supposed to be," the vampire found herself asking before she could stop herself. She was acutely aware of the fact that the answer could very well just cause her to fall even harder for the girl who she didn't even believe she deserved to have, but in that moment, she couldn't bring herself to care.

The brunette blushed and looked away for a moment as she tried to gather her thoughts to answer the question. After a few moments, she sighed and shook her head. "You know that talking isn't really my strong suit, right?"

"Just try," Rose whispered as she turned on her side so that both women were now lying face to face. The action caused the space between them to shrink so much so that if the blonde just inched her arm out slightly, her hand would be grazing Bella's. Fighting the temptation to do so was incredibly difficult, but Rosalie managed to distract herself by getting lost in the features of the beautiful woman in front of her. While she was someone that was seen as the epitome of beauty, the vampire knew that everything about the creature before her was gorgeous, not just the physical. The sum was much greater than any of it's parts.

The atmosphere felt almost intimate to Bella, and for some reason that she couldn't really explain, she didn't want to break it. The writer's breath hitched slightly when Rose turned towards her. In her position, she had the ability to truly look at the other woman. At first she had mentally smacked herself for some of the thoughts running through her mind due to her being accustomed to thinking of Rosalie with Emmett, but the solo room was just a bigger reminder that the woman was single. A gorgeous, sweet, and intelligent single woman. The thought of seeing her that way had never even crossed her mind, but Bella was only human. She had eyes, and even then she was pretty sure that even a blind man would be attracted to the woman. "Well, uh, I don't think that the best things in life should be easy, and love definitely falls into that category. I mean, being with the person should be natural, but coming together take compromise, communication, and growth. I think the person you fall in love with should help guide you to being the best version of yourself. They grow with you instead of you just being codependent on each other." Although a big part of her wanted to shy away, Bella couldn't pull her eyes away from the golden orbs she was drowning in. She vaguely remembered Edward saying that everything about vampires was meant to draw in their pray all those years ago, but right then, she felt safe. "Oh, and things can't get boring. Falling in love is easy, but staying in love is hard work. You have to put in the effort to keep things interesting and not fall into a boring pattern. I hate when you see couples in restaurants who aren't even talking to each other. They're just sharing a meal in silence."

Every word that fell from the brunette's lips drew Rosalie in. While the girl still had a few awkward pauses, she had grown in the last four years. She spoke about things with conviction and so much passion that it was no secret as to why she found her way into writing. Her description brought forth a longing within the blonde that is always laying dormant just underneath the surface. The love that Bella spoke up wasn't classically romantic, but the fact that it was so realistic, tangible, more than made up for that. It brought forward a knowledge that things would be difficult at times while still maintaining a longing for the carelessness and fun that came along with love. "I want that." Her words were quiet, but she was positive that Bella could hear them due to their close proximity.

Bella's features softened when she heard the uncharacteristcally vulnerable words come from the blonde. Her hand slowly reached out and rested on top of Rosalie's as a form of comfort. The cold temperature was something she had missed without even realizing it as she rubbed the pad of her thumb back and forth along the marble skin. "You'll find it." Her words left no room for argument or doubt. "When you stop giving people that cold attitude, you're actually sweet, caring, and gentle. You're easy to talk to which is something I never thought I'd say since you used to intimidate the hell out of me." The brunette made sure to say her words with a small smile to show that there was no need for Rose to keep on apologizing. She had taken them all in already, and now just needed time to heal from it all. "Anyway, before we got sidetracked on this philisophical talk about love. Why did you ask me about Edward?"

Only Emmett had ever described her in such a way and even then his words tended to be more playfully crass than anything due to his jokester personality. Bella's words were sincere and caused a warmth to spread through the vampire's typically cold body. However, Rosalie was thankful for the subject change due to the fact that keeping her feelings in check was becoming more and more difficult. The last thing she wanted was to just blurt them out there without thinking. "You are Edward's singer. Did he ever tell you how appealing your blood is to him?" Speaking about her brother with Bella was something that used to terrify her. When the girl walked back in their life, her biggest fear was that the brunette would still be in love with Edward which would absolutely crush her. Even though now there appears to no longer be any romantic feelings there, Rosalie couldn't help but feel inferior to their previous connection. Bella unknowingly had the ability to break her heart if she did not tread carefully with her words and putting yourself out there in such a manner, vampire or not, was daunting.

Although it was years ago, the writer could never forget that day in the woods when she had finally uttered what she believed Edward was. "Yeah, he compared it to a drug actually. I had thought that was a normal thing though since even Alice commented on how good I smell."

Rosalie couldn't help but smile at the memory of her sister's lack of filter. The day they all met Bella was an interesting one to say the least. "While your smell is very appealing, I nor Alice have the actual desire to drink your blood. As you can see, I've been around you for hours this evening, and my eyes have not changed nor has my throat begun to burn more than usual. Edward was drawn to your blood to the point where he could have accidentally harmed you. Your true mate would not be able to do such a thing because just the mere idea causes them physical pain." Choosing her words was far more difficult than it should have been. Rose was basically telling Bella about herself, and her feelings without actually doing so.

"That kind of makes sense. I mean, I would never want to hurt the person I was truly in love with, and that's how Jacob and Leah have acted since they imprinted, so I get it. I guess it's kind of good to know that my mate is still out there," Bella said with a yawn.

Her eyes had been drooping now for a couple of minutes, and her breathing was begining to even out. Rosalie smiled at the sight and allowed the girl to finally allow herself to drift off into a hopefully peaceful sleep. The moment she heard her heart rate completely slow down, the blonde leaned forward and placed the most gentle of kisses on Bella's forehead. "She is, Isabella."


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hey guys! So pretty important announcement here. I discovered that I write a lot better in first person, and my beta agrees with me. The reason my first three chapters were in third was because I was a chemist for four years and I roleplay on tumblr a lot. Both things require everything you write to be in third person, so I just never changed. I tried this and wound up liking it. I hope you all feel the same! I might later on change the first five chapters, but I know all of you along with myself are excited to see the story keep progressing. Okay, enough rambling. Enjoy! **

_Chapter 6_

When I woke up the following morning, Rosalie's cool marble body was no longer beside me. I went to check if her side of the bed was cold, nearly smacking myself since it obviously would be no matter what. Instead of getting up and panicking, a fact I was sadly aware I'd have done all those years ago, I stretched in bed before sitting up and trying to tame my unruly bed head. The morning haze steadily disippated, my mind swimming with memories from the night before as it cleared. It had been a long time since I had a talk that intimate with someone else, and I couldn't believe that it had happened with Rosalie of all people.

Before my mind could allow me to dwell on it too much, I heard my phone ring on the nightstand beside me. Jake texted me asking me if I wanted to take out our old bikes later which I immediately said yes to. We had spent a lot of time when I was still in high school fixing up those hunks of metal and then riding them around. What started out as some daring thing to get back at the Cullens with, wound up becoming a real hobby of mine.

It wasn't long before the smell of breakfast reached my nostrils, which was enough to get me out of bed. I slowly made my way down the stairs, and managed to only slip but catch myself twice; a huge success for me. The moment I entered the kitchen my eyes landed upon a smiling Esme who was placing another pancake on top of a rather big stack. Her eyes twinkled with amuzement as she saw me staring at all the food. I swore that my mouth was watering from the combination of smells from the eggs, bacon, syrup, and amazing hazelnut coffee. "I suppose that saying about food waking up humans is true after all," Esme said with a bit of a chuckle. "Well, don't just stand there gwaking at it dear, please dig in."

Still slightly in shock, my feet moved over to the seat at the table of their own accord. "Esme, how did you get so good at cooking? I mean, all of this looks amazing." As I waited for an answer, I began putting food onto my plate. The portions she made were huge, and there was no way I was going to be able to eat everything, but I tried to make as much of a dent as I could without getting sick. The first bite that I took of the food was like an explosion of flavors. I actually moaned due to the taste which definitely made the top ten list of most embarassing things I had ever done.

"I spent quite a lot of time in the kitchen after we left Forks." Esme's voice was much quieter than I was used to, and the tone held a tinge of sadness to it. Instead of interrupting her train of thought, I just looked at her questioningly. She gave me a small smile before providing me with the answer I was craving. "I missed you terribly, Bella. Cooking was the one thing that made me feel closer to you since you are human and were the only one of my children who could eat. I wanted to perfect my skills in the hopes of reuniting with you again. I suppose you could say that I have been preparing for this opportunity for a long time."

After days of having everyone look at me with so much remorse in their eyes, I was starting to feel uncomfortable by it. At first I had cherished in the feeling of knowing that I wasn't the only one who was in pain the last five years, but now I just want everyone's pain to go away. I have never been someone who enjoys seeing others hurt, and I guess I could never really hold a grudge for long. So, instead of letting this lead into another long and emotionally taxing conversation, I decided to keep things light. "Well, that practice made you good enough to be on Food Network or something. This is so good," I said with a smile. I took another bite of my food right in front of her for emphasis which got me the reaction I desired. The mother's joyous laughter bounced off the walls of the kitchen space which made my emotions skyrocket. It always felt good when you were the cause of someone else's happiness.

Just then, Rosalie entered the kitchen wearing a pair of old overalls and wiping her hands off of what I guessed was grease. I couldn't stop my brown eyes from raking over her body which didn't go unnoticed by the blonde. Instead of her being weired out by the action though, her eyebrow just arched and a small smirk appeared on her lips. My cheeks immediately became tinged with pink, but I couldn't help it. If she looked beautiful on a regular basis, then she just looked plain hot after working on cars. Those thoughts of course only caused me to become even more embarrassed, so I immediately focused my attention back to my food. Maybe another delicious bite of pancakes would help me forget about the fact that I was just checking out Rosalie Cullen. Not only was the chick straight to my knowledge, but she was also so out of my league it wasn't even funny. "What exactly is so funny," Rose asked as she walked over to the sink to finish cleaning off her hands.

"Bella was just complimenting my cooking," Esme replied effortlessly. I was grateful for her interjection since I wasn't sure I could look at the other woman in the room just yet. The last thing I needed to add to this was me staring at her butt or something while she was washing her hands. That would just be mortifying.

The faucet soon turned off, and Rose moved over to where I was sitting. She took the seat next to me, but didn't actually watch me eat. Her eyes were focused on trying to get the gunk out from under her nails. "So that is what got her out of bed this morning," she said with a teasing tone.

My eyes narrowed in response to her comment, but I waited until I actually finished chewing and swallowing the bite in my mouth before saying something back. I did not need to add things onto the list of stuff she would tease me about. Apparently even though we were getting along, there would always be a sort of bickering to our relationship which I was cool with. I mean, it could be fun sometimes.

"Hey," I finally managed to get out. "I was up late talking to some vampire. Just because some of us don't sleep or even need beauty rest, doesn't mean the rest of us don't." I was half tempted to stick my tongue out at her, but I held it back. Man, I hanging out with Jake way too much.

"I don't know about you Esme, but all I am hearing are excuses." The blonde's typical poker face was good, but I could see a smile wanting to crack out at the corner of her mouth. Instead of responding, I just playfully glared at her while I took another bite of food. "So, what is in store for our lazy human today?"

I wiped my mouth with my napkin and thought about just not answering the vampire due to her little nickname, but in the end I decided against it. Playing along with her was far more fun anyway. "I'm hanging out with Jake this afternoon, but I could probably do something tonight if you wanted. We're just taking out our old motorcylces for a little while and probably eating lunch." Just thinking about another meal nearly made me groan just then. How was I supposed to even think about putting more food in my stomach after the buffet of a breakfast I had just eaten? I was pretty sure that I could go the rest of the day without food and be content at that point.

In the blink of an eye the playful mood that was surrounding the kitchen was gone. Rosalie's eyes hardened, and her hands clenched into fists. I guess I should be glad that there at least wasn't a glass salad bowl in them this time. "Did you sustain a head injury we did not know about while we were away?"

Well, if her facial expressions didn't give it away, then the harshness of her tone definitely did. _"There is the old Rosalie,"_ I thought to myself. It was impossible for her to have completely disappeared over the years. The saying old habits die hard existed for a reason. "If you're going to go back to being rude to me, then at least say what you really mean. None of those snide side remarks. What's really bothering you?" My eyes flickered over to Esme, and I could see that she was worried about the turn the conversation had taken, but she wasn't moving to intervine yet. That was definitely different. In the past when Rose had said something out of line, Carlisle and Esme were both quick to try and put a stop to it. I had no idea what was different about this time, but a part of me was glad for the lack of intrusion. This was a true test to see if Rosalie and I could actually have a close friendship together. If we couldn't work through each other's flaws, then it was practically doomed from the start.

Her nostrils flared, and all sense of her trying to hold back went out the window. She quickly stood up to distance herself away from me. The action hurt more than I thought it would, but I tried to push that aside. Adding fuel to the fire was not a good idea. "What's bothering me? How dense must you be to ask that question? You are going to ride a death trap with a mutt who I cannot trust farther than I can throw him!" The volume of her voice was louder than I was used to, but I knew that it was no where near as loud as it could be. I knew her temper was bad, but this was the first time that I had seen her get so upset with me. In the past there was just dislike from her towards me, annoyance, and protectiveness of her family, but this time she was actually angry at me.

I pushed my plate aside and moved to get up myself. The last thing I wanted was feeling lower than her in that moment. We needed to be on equal ground in every way I could make it which wasn't much due to the whole vampire versus human thing. Seriously, that's always a damn inconvinience and disadvantage on my part. "Whoa, first off don't insult Jake. Secondly, how can you say you don't trust him? He's been there for me for years, Rosalie. I'm not some fragile little girl that has to be controled. I hated it when Edward did it, and I'm not going to like it any better now coming from you." My anger quickly rose the moment she talked badly about one of my best friends. I have always been someone who puts those that I care about before myself. The vampire saying things about me out of anger didn't bother me, but bringing other people into it wasn't okay. If I was more level headed, I would have noticed that our protective nature was something we had in common, but alas, I wasn't. I was too busy trying to not focus on the fact that Rosalie somehow only got more attractive when she was pissed off and really trying to push away the urge I had to kiss her just to shut her up. Thank whoever is up there for Jasper not being around because that would have been more embarrassment than I could handle.

Immediately I could see that my comment about Jake always being there was taken the wrong way. Rosalie's eyes showed hurt for a fraction of a second before hardening again. Faster than it should be possible, she transformed that pain into even more anger which wasn't needed. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to bring that up," she snapped. My body flinched slightly, but otherwise I didn't move. Arguing with her right then would have been pointless and cutting her off wasn't a smart move. "Not a fragile little girl? I believe the fact that you can hardly keep upright for too long disputes that, Bella. As for you trusting him, then I surely hope it proves to be the right decision because if anything happens to you while you're doing this stupidity, I will not be there to save you." With that, she was out the back door in a flash. I couldn't run after her if I wanted to for obvious reasons, so all I could do was slump back into my chair. I wanted to go after her and explain everything. Yeah, I was hurt too, but I needed her to know that my comment about trusting Jacob wasn't meant to be taken the way she did. I was trying to calm her worries about me being in danger, but my word vomit once again did a splendid job of screwing everything up.

"Bella she's just," Esme started in an attempt to comfort me, but I just cut her off. There wasn't anything she could say to make me feel better right then. I couldn't figure out why Rosalie would lose her cool like that over something that I had done a bunch of time over the years. The way she was acting just didn't make sense to me.

"It's alright, Esme. I just better get ready for Jake to pick me up. Thank you for breakfast, and I'll see you later." I walked over to her and gave her a hug that she was always happy to receive before trudging up to get my things out of Rose's room.

A change of clothes and quick text to Jake had me leaving the Cullen house about thirty minutes later. Rosalie still had not gotten back from wherever she had gone off to, so I had to leave with that unsettling feeling in my gut about our fight going on unresolved. With a sigh, I hopped into my best friend's truck. He knew something was wrong, but I just told him I didn't want to talk about. Explaining to him that I had just gotten into a fight with Rosalie over him in a sense was not something I wanted to get into. Before he could prod any further, my phone began ringing. When I pulled it out of the back pocket of my jeans, I saw Emmett's face and a goofy picture of him sticking his tongue out on my screen. The sneaky joker must have put it in sometime when I wasn't looking. I pressed the accept button on my phone and quickly held the device up to my ear. "Hey, Em. What's up?"

"Bells," he immediately said a little too enthusiastically in my ear. I actually had to hold the phone back a bit to keep from wincing. Quickly I reached to the side to turn the volume down a few notches before continuing to listen. "You left without saying bye little sis. Not cool."

A small smile formed on my face when I heard him actually sound upset about me leaving. Out of all the Cullens, he acted most like the big brother I never had, but always kind of wanted. He was funny, great to hang out with, and could get protective when he needed to, but not in an overbearing way. "Sorry about that Emmett. I got into a fight with Rosalie, and I just wanted to get out of there after that. Sitting around and waiting for her to get back so we could talk just sounded like a cruel form of torture I didn't want to go through." I bit my lip as I looked over at Jacob. His brow furrowed in confusion when he heard my words. To his knowledge, me and Rose had never gotten along, so me fighting with her to him shouldn't be something that gets me so worked up.

On the other line, I heard Emmett say someting to a female who's voice I didn't recognize. It registered to me that she must be his mate that I haven't met yet. I've been too caught up in a ton of things to really get the chance to meet her. "Yeah," he finally said when he finished speaking to the other woman who's name was Riley if I remembered correctly. "That's also why I'm calling. Don't be too mad at her Bells. Rosalie attacks when she gets scared. It's what she's done for as long as I've known her." I heard him sigh on the other end which was probably due to him remembering all the times he had been in my position. Well, that's what I assumed anyway since I had no idea what was going on.

"Scared? What could she be so scared of?"

I heard laughter which was definitely not the response I wanted to hear. I had already been essentially called stupid once that morning and did not want to make it a second time. If I had been in front of him, I probably would have crossed my arms and leaned on one leg which was brought to my attention as being the female "someone's in trouble," stance. Knowing Emmett though that would probably only make him laugh harder. "You guys really need to talk if you're asking me that. She's scared of losing you."

While I knew that Rosalie apparently loved me as one of the family, I was still significantly confused because that would not warrant the amount of fear and anger I had seen earlier. Also, the blonde vampire seriously needed to work on her actions conveying what she truly feels because her skills were seriously lacking. I understood pushing people away, but Rose took it to a whole other level when she did. "Yeah because her saying she wouldn't be there to save me really drove that message home, Emmett. Not to mention her pretty much calling me a klutz and dumb." A part of me couldn't believe I was having this talk with my big teddy bear of a brother. He was the last one to take matters seriously most times, but he was proving to be pretty good at it. Apparently it was just a skill he didn't like to utilize often.

"Well, the her not being there to save you part is true. Remember, you're going to be on the reservation, and we can't go there. She didn't mean it as in her not wanting to save you because she would every time she could, but when you're there she can't be with you. The klutz part is pretty true, Bells. I mean come on. I've seen you trip on thin air." The last part he said with a bit of a chuckle. I grumbled in response which only made his laugh boom. My skill of being unbelievably uncoordinated was one of those things that I could mention, but I didn't like others doing it. I had been made fun of for it enough growing up. His words did make sense though the more I thought about it. I had forgotten about the reservation's rules for a split second.

I didn't know Rosalie well enough to know all of her defense mechanisms. Since she had run out the moment she had the chance, I couldn't even try to work through this with her. More than anything I wanted to just sit down with her and get some answers, but we both more than likely needed this time apart to cool off. Talking when we both were still upset wasn't going to solve anything. "I didn't mean to hurt her," I said in a whisper. "I saw it for a second when I mentioned Jake being there for me all these years, and I didn't mean it as a way to throw you guys leaving in her face. I wouldn't bring that up to hurt any of you." Even if I couldn't say the words to the person I wanted to, I needed someone to know that. The Cullens were all walking on eggshells around me, and it needed to stop. I forgave them, but getting rid of my abandonment issues were going to take a little more time.

The vampire sighed again as he heard my words. "I know, and I think deep down she knows that. She's just jealous of Jake even though I told her she has nothing to worry about. She's stubborn." I couldn't help but scoff at his words. Stubborn was definitely an understatement.

"Why is she jealous though? I don't get it. She's acting weird, and I'm grateful that she cares about me so much, but I don't understand why." I ran a hand through my hair which was a nervous habit that I've never quit. A part of me hated it since it always made my hair look more greasy and sometimes look messy.

"You have to ask her that. I can't tell you. Sorry Bells."

While I was frustrated at his response, I understood it. Emmett was probably going to be in enough trouble as it was if Rosalie ever found out about this phone call. Seeing that we were getting closer to the Res, I needed to cut this talk short. "I will talk to her, I promise. I've got to go, but thank you, Emmett. I appreciate you trying to help."

Jacob pulled up next to his garage, but I stayed in the car for a minute to finish everything up. "No problem. You've my favorite human, I've got to help you. Now, be safe. Only pop one wheelie for me. You've got to still meet my mate after all. Talk to you later." After relaying my goodbyes the phone call ended, and I hopped out of the car. Before getting into the fun afternoon with my best friend, I sent out one important text. _"Can I see you tonight so we can talk?" _

I wasn't expecting a response, so I jumped slightly when I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out and read the text the blonde who was quickly becoming an enigma sent. _"I suppose I will be seeing you tonight then." _


	8. Chapter 7

**_Chapter 7_**

Riding my old bike was exactly what I needed after a hectic morning. When I began riding shortly after the Cullens left, it was mostly out of the need to feel something. I was so numb for so long that I just wanted to see if anything could affect me anymore. The adrenaline that came from revving the engine, speeding off, and feeling the wind breeze through my hair was indescribable. I'll be the first to admit that I was stupid back then. When I rode, I was reckless. I was determined to break the one promise I had made Edward out of revenge even if it meant harming myself. If the only thing I could send him was guilt, then that was what I'd settle for. Now though, riding was an escape.

The biggest sign that I had changed was the fact that I actually dressed properly. My attire consisted of jeans, boots, a jacket, and of course a helmet. The last thing I needed was to hit my head again and hear Jake joke about my brain cells becoming extinct - more than he already does, anyways.

As I drove, I saw the trees speed past me. The view that Jacob and I had when the trees cleared was breath taking, which someone could say about all the nature that surrounded the small town of Forks. I relished in the fact that the only sound that reached my ears was that of the engine and the wind passing through the trees. My mind cleared and allowed me to gather the calm that I needed if I was going to have this talk with Rosalie.

Dusk came much faster than I expected, but I didn't truly mind. If I was being honest with myself, I wanted to resolve this fight with the blonde. Showing her that I was indeed fine after my ride would definitely help, but I couldn't just let her skirt around things anymore. I needed answers if she was going to act the way she did this past morning more often.

In my mind I thought that I was calm, cool, and collected, but apparently my body had other ideas. The light amount of sweat that was covering the palms of my hands was the last thing I needed. My focus right now was on fixing whatever was wrong between Rosalie and I, and if I even appeared to be a little off, the Cullens would ask me a minimum of twenty questions revolving around whether or not I was okay. So, I quickly wiped my hands clean on the back of my jeans before raising one to knock on the wooden door. Alice, once again, was the one who greeted me and allowed me to step inside the gorgeous household. "I was getting rather impatient waiting for you to knock since I saw when you'd be here hours ago, but I decided to let you have your moment." Cold arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a hard, yet comforting embrace. Affection always made me a bit awkward, but between the pixie in front of me, and the big bear of the house, avoiding it was just useless. "Stop being so nervous," she whispered into my ear. "Everything will be fine, and before you do it, you know better than to question me." I rolled my eyes when she pulled away and gave me a wink. Jasper laughed lightly from his seat in the living room; no doubt due to what I was feeling towards his mate. He made a zipper motion across his lips to show his silence, and I immediately nodded in his direction as a form of thanks.

Not wanting to waste time avoiding the inevitable, I began walking towards the stairs. Alice lightly smacked my back side which I am sure she meant as a form of encouragement, but it only caused me to turn about five shades of red. With each step I climbed, I was becoming more and more aware of just how blank my mind was. Rosalie was the only girl I have ever met who could make me be at a loss for words, which was not what this situation called for. Sooner than I would have liked, I was walking down the hall towards the girl's room. The closer I got, the more I realized just how crazy Rose was making me in such a short time. Was there a right way to say, 'hey, you drive me crazy and are kind of intimidating sometimes, but I really want to get to know you more'? I wanted more talks like the one we shared last evening, and I wanted to continue to pull back those defensive layers that hid the sweet girl that at times made an appearance. When I reached her door, I had less than three seconds to figure out how to put all of that into words before Rose wondered why I was just standing there for so long. Another con for the human: having a heartbeat let every vampire know when you were in the house.

My knuckles tapped against the door, and I waited as patiently as possible for an answer. Luckily, I heard a quiet "come in," before I started to fidget too much. My eyes immediately sought out the girl who had run away from me earlier. They didn't have to look far since Rose was sitting on her bed with her legs brought up to her chest. Her gaze was focused out the window which I appreciated due to the fact that my eyes decided to focus a little longer than they should have on the amount of skin the vampire had on display. She was wearing a pair of Victoria Secret pink sleep shorts, that definitely lived up to the length part of the clothing's name, along with a white off the shoulder long sleeve top. It took me a minute, but I finally managed to not look like an idiot and address the elephant that was causing way too much tension in the room. "Hey," I offered lamely which made me mentally face palm myself.

Rosalie finally turned to look in my direction which I was thankful for. Getting the feeling of her still being mad at me was not pleasant; at least my pathetic greeting got me something. A perfectly shaped eyebrow rose in my direction, but she gave me a hello in return.

It became obvious that she was not going to start this conversation, so apparently that left me, the one who has an amazing knack for putting her foot in her mouth, to do it.

Great.

My hand went up to rub the back of my neck as I leaned against the vampire's closed bedroom door. "I don't know what happened this morning." Again lame, but it was at least a start in the right direction. Maybe my inability to actually discuss my feelings was why I haven't had a successful relationship in years. When an appropriate time arose, I might have to look more into that. "I mean, I know why we fought, but I don't get why you got so upset. It doesn't bother me at all that you care so much, but it all seems to be coming out of nowhere." White teeth took my bottom lip captive as I waited for her response. I noticed that her eyes moved their focus downward to follow the action, but I thought nothing of it because before I could blink, her gaze had shifted again.

For what had to be the millionth time since I've known her, I wished that I could know what she was thinking. Rosalie was great at displaying anger, disinterest, and annoyance, but any other emotion hardly appeared on her face. "This woman would be great at poker," I briefly thought to myself as I waited. It felt like hours had passed when the sound of the blonde's velvet voice finally reached my ears. "If I tell you what you wish to know, you're going to most likely become very upset with me. Actually, that could be the best scenario I could hope for." I could hear actual fear and remorse in Rosalie's voice which caused me to become worried. What could possibly be so bad that she thinks would garner that reaction?

The other emotion that flooded my body was the desire to comfort the woman, so I took tentative steps forward until I reached the end of her bed and sat down. "Honesty goes a long way with me," I said with a shrug. My fingers reached to my wrist to pull the sleeves of my shirt down further. "I liked how close I felt to you last night, and I even like when we playfully fight since I doubt we'll ever be all rainbows and bunnies, but you pushed me away completely this morning." I tried to hide it, but the tinge of hurt still showed through my tone of voice. I saw Rosalie's jaw clench before she rapidly turned her head again to look away from me.

"There truly is no light way to put this, so I apologize in advance for throwing it at you in such a blunt way." Immediately, my heart began to race, a fact I knew Rosalie was all too aware of. Expectations rose, some more ridiculous than others, as I waited as patiently as possible for the vampire to continue. And despite all my guesses, none of them could match up to what the reality was. "You, Bella, are my true mate."

The moment those last six words registered in my mind, it felt like everything stopped. Out of all the things I had expected to hear, that was nowhere near my suspicions. Literally, her telling me that she was secretly in love with Justin Beiber or Kim Kardashian would have been higher on my list than what I actually heard. My first reaction was to call bullshit, but I knew that Rosalie wouldn't just throw something like that out there if there was no truth behind it. From what I've seen with Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, and Esme, vampires know who their mates are. None of them had been able to explain it to me exactly, but there was something within them that just yearned to have their mate in every way possible. But, if I went with that train of thought, Rose being my mate made absolutely no sense. I spent half a year thinking that she hated me due to how she acted when I was around.

My mouth opened and closed a few times, words failing me each and every time I tried. There needed to be a how to manual for dummies for situations like this, because socially awkward individuals being tossed into them was just not fair. "How long have you known?" were the first words I was able to rasp out after several minutes of deafening silence.

Before I had wished to be able to see more emotions on the blonde's face, but the moment I saw clear regret, pain, and vulnerability etched across her features, I wanted to take it back. Hell, I'd even take one of her old death glares instead of seeing her so obviously sad. "The day you were almost hit by that idiot's car in the school parking lot," she replied with the most monotone voice I'd ever heard come from her. "I remember being livid, terrified, and a thousand other emotions all at once, but instead of confronting what I knew to be true, I directed those feelings towards my brother. I went to the hospital as quickly as I could and acted as if I was there to yell at him for endangering our family instead of just saying that I wanted to make sure you were well. That lie was the first of many." She couldn't bring her eyes up to look at me as she spoke, but I remembered that day perfectly. I was so infatuated with Edward who was the only Cullen to react to me in any way that I didn't think twice about Rosalie being at the hospital. Suddenly, the way she reacted when the nomads first approached that day during the baseball game made sense, and I couldn't help but wonder what other things I missed.

My mind was spinning trying to pick out other memories that could help make sense of this whole situation. Apparently, the reason I have never found the right girl was because I was destined to be with a vampire. Well, being normal sure as hell was out of the question now. "Why did you act like you hated me if you apparently loved me?" Rosalie had explained why she acted the way she did before, but that was under the pretense of her loving me as a family member, not in the way she was implying. My abandonment issues deep down were sky rocketing. If she did feel this way, but still left, then what did that say about me? However, showing that much vulnerability was not something I was at all ready for, so I kept those insecurities to myself.

"Firstly, if I am going to be completely honest with you, then you need to know that the correct term is love not loved." For those words, she did make sure to lock eyes with me. I could see the sincerity behind those golden eyes, but I needed more answers. When I was young I was so quick to jump into love, but all I got out of that was more pain than I ever wanted to experience again. "The reasons why I acted the way I did are the same as I told you before, but my desire to stay as far away from you was much stronger because of that. Bella, you must know that if I had a choice, I would not be here. I wouldn't have chosen to be a vampire just so I could continue living. Well, if you can even call what we are living, that is. All I wanted when I was human was to fall in love, have a family, and grow old enough to see my grandchildren. Two of those things I will never have, and I could not put you in the same position. Although it was unbearable, I needed to stay away from you and somehow convince my family to do the same." If the blonde was able to cry, I was positive that she would be in that moment, but it was yet just another thing she was incapable of. She kept alternating between rubbing her palms together and making her hands into fists as she explained the reasons behind all that has happened to the two of us.

Anger was something that I expected to feel at some point, but it didn't come. All I could focus on was the sadness that was encircling the room. "I kept my feelings a secret from as many people as possible. Jasper knew due to his gift immediately, and I told Emmett because I felt I owed him that much, but no one else knew. Whenever Edward was near, I made sure to force myself to not think of you, and since I decided to stay as far from you as possible, Alice had no visions of us together."

There was a lot of information being thrown at me, so I took my time to digest it all. Everything she was telling me was making all of the pieces of this puzzle fit, but there was one question that continued to burn in my mind. One that more than likely seemed trivial in all that was being exposed at the moment. "How did you handle seeing me with Edward?" I hoped that she caught on to the fact that I stopped hinting at the possibility of this not being true. There were no more 'if's' in my sentences because I did believe what she was telling me about her feelings, but I had absolutely no idea what this all meant for us, or if there would even be an us. She has had years to absorb her feelings and come to terms with them while I just found out about this fifteen minutes ago.

Gold eyes rolled when she heard my question. "There is no other way to describe it other than hell. Seeing you be so infatuated with him was sickening, but I used it to my advantage. My brother believed you were his love which was just another excuse for me to stay away. It wasn't until I heard of him nearly killing you the night of the confrontation with James that I knew just how grave of a mistake I had made. It took me years, but I grew the courage to fight for you if I ever were to see you again. You are to make your own decisions, Bella. I am sorry that it took me so long to see that I should never have taken that right away from you in the first place." It was yet another apology, but it sounded much more sincere than the others. Perhaps it was because everything was finally on the table, and there was another layer to the onion that is Rosalie Hale.

Then, a realization hit me like a bag of bricks. If I had the right to make my own decisions, that meant that I was expected to make one. There was no way I could just say, 'oh, we're destined to be together? Well, that's it,' and just jump into the blonde's arms. My life wasn't a cheesy romance novel, and I was actually really happy about that. It was realistic, and if we were meant to be in love, then it would one day be.

"I have no idea what to say."

Finally, the awkward tension was broken when Rosalie chuckled a little. I didn't expect it, and normally I would be mad that she was laughing at my expense, but I was too damn happy to see a smile back on her face to care; the solemn expression was making my stomach churn uncomfortably. "You may have attended college, but you are no more eloquent, Isabella." Her words got me to roll my eyes at her for a change. Out of gut instinct, I nearly told her to never call me by my actual name, but as I repeated it in my head, I liked the way she said it. When she said my full name, it was with so much warmth and affection; I decided I wouldn't mind hearing it every once in awhile.

My hand ran through my hair, as I thought about where to go from here. Rosalie had just poured her heart and soul out on the quilt of her bed, and I couldn't just leave her without any idea as to where she stood. I didn't have the answers she might have wanted to hear most, but I had an idea that could work for the both of us. "Look, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't find you...um, attractive. Not just your looks either, but all the other things about you too." I suddenly wished I had reminded her at how horrible I was when discussing my feelings.

When I was about to continue, she interrupted me and only managed to get me to blush more than I thought possible. "That is something I am aware of. I feel your eyes on me quite often." The smirk she wore was so confident. It was both sexy and annoying at the same time.

I took a couple of breaths to try and get my blood to move from my cheeks which only kind of worked. I vowed that one day I would get every Cullen who has ever made me blush back, Alice being most tricky on that list. "Anyway, I can say that, but I can't say that I feel for you what you feel for me, yet." At first, her face began to fall as she heard my words, but thankfully she waited until the end before she became defensive, angry, or whatever other emotion could appear in an unpleasant way that evening. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. "I know it's probably different from what you were expecting, but why don't we date? That way we're not in the weird friend zone second guessing everything, but we're not jumping into anything either." I bit my lip for a second time as I waited to see what the other woman thought. From my end, it seemed like a good, reasonable idea, but I had no idea how it would be received. Since my last relationship was almost three years ago, it was safe to say I was a little rusty.

"Considering I believed you would hate me for everything I have put you through, yes this is different from what I expected." Rosalie shook her head, but there was a clear smile on her face. It was small, but it was there, and I was happier than I thought I would be having been the cause of it. "It's been a very long time since I have actually been courted, and I have never been the one doing the courting, but I would like that." Cheering from downstairs was soon heard which caused Rosalie to curse under her breath, and me to just burst out laughing in spite of my flushing cheeks. There really was no such thing as privacy in a house filled with vampires. "I suggest we go down there before Emmett comes here and makes this sweet moment quickly become embarrassing. He is also excited for you to meet Riley who, from what I heard, is downstairs." The blonde moved to get off the bed and walk towards the door, my eyes following her the whole way she went until her voice rang through again. "Your staring is flattering, but let's get a move on. I need to make sure you don't trip on the stairs." And, Rosalie was back to making me turn as red as a tomato. Maybe I should ask Carlisle if blushing this much was healthy.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Wow! Guys, I cannot thank you enough for all of the feedback. When I started this, I never thought I would get over 150 followers, but you all have proven me wrong. Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. This story still has a long way to go, so let's keep going. Without further ado, here is Chapter 8! Enjoy!**

_Chapter 8_

It's funny how small differences can completely make you look at things in a new way. Feelings, relationships, and love are things that we are surrounded by on a daily basis. Love is the one prize people search for their entire lives. The feelings of excitement, shyness, and butterflies that come with new relationships are what people love to dream of. Girls traditionally spend their days dreaming of that boy who is going to make their leg pop when they share a kiss in the rain. I've never been normal, so thesee cliches aren't things I would typically think of, but I would be lying if I said that the complete acceptance that comes with true love wasn't something I craved. My life has mostly been spent as an outsider. My clumsiness, awkwardness, and just overall introverted personality hasn't really led me down the path of popularity. Truthfully, I never believed I fit in with people my own age, or people at all actually, and this might be why.

As I see Rosalie playfully rolling her eyes at me while Emmett twirls me around in one of his hugs, I can't help but wonder if this is what I was always meant for. Maybe the reason I am so different is because I was never suppossed to fit in with other people. If anyone heard me say that I was destined for a life with vampires, I'm sure they would have a straight jacket fit just for me along with my own private suite in the looney bin; but they were never meant to understand. I've found a family and potentially a girlfriend who accept me with all my quirks and oddities, and for that I will always be grateful. My silent reverie was broken by Emmett's booming voice after he set me down. "It's about time!" His enthusiasm was shared amongst those in the room, but he and Alice were the ones that were apparently the most invested in this. I was sure that the smiles they were sporting would make even their cheeks sore. "I'll give you tips on how to put up with Rosalie's special brand of crazy," was wispered into my ear, but the blonde in question easily heard the jab due to her super-human hearing. For once in my life, I ducked in time so a pillow wouldn't wind up smacking me in the face.

I threw a mock glare in Rose's direction, and all she did was shrug her shoulders. "There is always collatoral damage in war." It was obvious from her facial features that she was attempting to keep her usual neutral expression in place, but apparently that was difficult for her to do in my presence. Knowing I might be the typical ice queen's weakness could definitely come in handy in the future.

My eyes scanned the room and landed on a strawberry blonde girl standing off to the side near Esme. Her arms were crossed as she leaned a shoulder against the wall and appraised me quietly. Never being one to enjoy being the center of anyone's attention, I began to squirm. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and played with a loose thread from my t-shirt that I had conveniently found. My shyness was not lost on everyone else which only made some giggle and one pesky blonde smile fondly. "Sorry Bells," Emmett finally spoke up. "This is my mate Riley. Lee, come over here before you make the poor, little human nauseous or something."

The vampire was very pretty which just meant she fit the Cullen mold just fine. Her hair was layered, straight, and hung around her shoulders. One thing that was definitely different from her compared to Alice or Rosalie was her attire. Punk was the only word I could think to describe her as since she was wearing black cargo pants, Vans, and a simple tank top. "So, this is the weird human who just stormed into a house of vampires, yelled at them, and lives to tell the tale, huh?" Apparently she also shared Emmett's teasing humor. That was bound to be trouble for me.

A light twinge of pink appeared on my cheeks yet again, and my eyes darted down to the floor. I had felt so bold and in charge back when that particular confrontation was happening, but now that false bravado was definitely long gone. I swallowed thickly and shoved both of my hands into the pockets of the jacket I was wearing. It might be summer, but I still liked to stay covered up. I always have left the showing of skin to other girls. "Guilty?" My response only caused another round of laughter.

Riley shook her head but was wearing a smile the entire time. "I like you, squirt." Her hand reached out and ruffled my hair which only made my nose scrunch. Yup, she's got the big sister act down pact. "One of these days we'll take some time to get to know each other. I've heard a lot about you, but if what everyone says is true, you're bound to get curious about me sooner instead of later."

Instead of even trying to deny it, I just shrugged my shoulders and nodded my head. "Sounds great." Riley gave me one last smile before walking off to stand beside Emmett. I wasn't alone though since I felt cold marble skin brush up against my side. When I looked over, I saw none other than Rosalie. Everyone else got lost in idle chit chat again, but I wasn't really participating except for a few, "uh huhs," or nods every now and then. My attention was caught up in the vampire beside me. With everything out on the table, I felt comfortable enough to stare at her without worrying about any repricusions other than some light teasing which was bound to happen no matter what I did. So, I allowed my eyes to soak in every curve, shadow, and freckle. Most would think that I was admiring the blonde's beauty since there certainly was an abundance of it, but I was instead focused on her mannerisms. Her body language, laugh, and even words were so much more relaxed than I've ever seen them. Before when I had been around Rose, it appeared as if she was dying to jump out of her own skin. Traces of anger were normally visible on her features, but now they were no where to be found.

She placed her hand on the small of my back whilst talking, which made me tense for the briefest of seconds. I could see that Rose was about to pull away out of fear of doing something so quickly, so I took the tiniest of steps closer to stop that from happening. It wasn't that the affection was unwanted; I just didn't see that happening since it was a side of the blonde I rarely saw. The rest of the family began to disperse to do their own thing which soon only left me and Rose alone in the living room. "Are you alright? I know their teasing can be more than slightly obnoxious. I do enjoy watching you get flustered, but not as frequently as I know Emmett and Alice are both capable of making that occur." Her voice, and the fact that she turned her body even more towards me, showed her genuine concern; which only made me smile slightly. Hopefully I wouldn't always become a puddle of shy mush around this girl.

Before I could respond, someone cleared their voice to obviously gather our attention. My eyes widened when I saw that Edward had finally come back from wherever he took off to. His facial features looked pained even though I could tell he was attempting to give off a calm front. "Bella, I was wondering if I may have a word alone with you." I heard a hiss from beside me and turned to see Rose's face morph into one of anger. "Rosalie, I've been fine about this since the moment I found out about it. There is no need to question me about it now even though I think you are making a very large mistake." The blonde nearly raced forward, but I managed to lightly grab a hold of her wrist before she attempted to move. Her now black eyes darted away from her brother and instead towards the area where we were touching. She shook her head and lightly tugged her hand in an attempt to get me to let go, but I stood firm. There was no way I was going to let her fight her brother over me. If I was in her place, I would probably be having the human version of this reaction which would just be a bundle of insecurities and uneasiness, so I couldn't fault her. We were just starting out, so having an ex make an appearance was a test we were still not ready for, but would have to face either way. My attention was diverted to Edward when I heard a growl come from him. "How dare you think that," he spat towards the blonde.

"It's not like it's something I am afraid of saying to your face, Edward," Rose snapped right back." Before you never had a moment where you became angry with Bella, but now that is a possibility due to our situation if she says something you're not ready to hear. You were fine with this before Bella came back. Do not pretend like you haven't been off because you were fine with all of this. The only thing that would be a mistake would be trusting you with my mate who happens to be your singer while you're angry." My thumb was rubbing the cool skin of her wrist slowly which was slightly calming her down, or at the very least getting her to stay next to me.

My body was stiff, I was biting the inside of my cheek, and my eyes wanted to look anywhere but at my ex boyfriend. But, the only way out of the awkward would be to not see Rosalie, and that wasn't something I was willing to walk away from without giving it a chance. "Rosalie," I whispered as I stepped closer to her. "It's better that we get this over with now. Stay nearby incase of anything, but I'm sure it'll be fine." My eyes pleaded with her which slowly made her cave. The scowl on her face made it very clear that she wasn't happy about it, but she nodded her head in agreement. I gave her a smile, and only let go of her wrist when I had to due to the distance that grew between us as I walked towards Edward.

He led us out towards the backyard, but I stopped walking when I noticed that he hadn't stopped after getting a few feet away from the house. Rosalie was worried enough as it was, and I wasn't going to make that worse by being far away. My arms crossed in front of my body as I waited for whatever he wanted to say to me. I wasn't looking for any sort of closure from our relationship, so there wasn't anything for me to say. Years ago this might have been different, but although it hurt for some time, I eventually grew out of that pain. I found myself, and the person I have become doesn't match the girl I was when I believed I was in love with the boy in front of me.

"You know everything." There wasn't a question to his words, so I stayed quiet and waited for him to continue. "I do love you. I can't imagine what image Rosalie has painted, but I need you to know that while I am not your mate, the feelings I had for you were indeed real."

As I looked into his now darkened eyes, I could still see the sincerity there. After all these years, he still looked at me the same way he used to, and I couldn't imagine how it felt for him to not see those emotions reflected back at him. "I know, Edward. I mean, there were times I questioned it after you left, but it's not like all of my care for you washed away. You were my first serious relationship, you know? That creates something special, but I can't say I'm in love with you or still hold romantic feelings towards you. I'm sorry. I would never want to hurt you, but I think it would be better if we are clear with where we stand." Hurting people was never something I was good at. If it was up to me, I would avoid it at all costs even if there were situations like this one where it needed to be done. This time though I couldn't just try to save his feelings because I had someone else to think about. I wanted things with Rose to start out right, and that meant that we needed a clean slate. If I wasn't completely honest, Edward could still think he had a chance, and I refused to do that.

I didn't need Jasper's gift to feel a part of the pain Edward was going through. Even though this wasn't my fault, I couldn't help but feel guilty. It was me who caused all of this trouble after all. When I blinked, I felt wetness behind my eyes and silently cursed myself for crying. This was something that was suppossed to be easy, but the vampire before me represented so much, that no matter what this was going to be painful. People always think that the person breaking up with someone has it easy, but it isn't always true. As I stood there and made it clear that our end was final, it hurt. Edward was a boy I cared about even though I know he wasn't the best for me, and being the one to cause him pain isn't something I would ever actually crave. "So you are going to be with Rosalie? You are going to allow yourself to fall in love with a monster and subject yourself to this life? I know my sister, she will not be able to allow you to die as you should. I thought that with us being away for so long you would learn that, but apparently you still do not appreciate human life." His face morphed into one that was a combination of disappointment and disgust. When I was younger, I would think so highly of his opinion, but now I couldn't give a shit. The pity that I had towards him was quickly disappating and instead turning into anger. I was a twenty one year old woman who was more than capable of choosing who I want to be with.

"Edward, I am trying to be nice to you, but if you say one more thing about Rosalie and I that will go away really fast." I attempted to take a calming breath to not let my anger get out of control. "I don't know what is going to happen between Rose and I, but I also know that anything that I do is none of your business anymore. If I want to turn, then that is my decision. I don't know what you wanted out of this talk, but I think it's done. I'm not going to stand here and listen to you try and get me not to see Rosalie." With that, I turned and briskly walked back towards the house. I knew that if he wanted to he could have easily stopped me or caught up to me, but when I looked up into the house I saw why he didn't. Rose was standing at the window looking as menacing as ever which now only made me smile instead of cringing like I used to.

As soon as my foot crossed the threshold, the blonde was in front of me quickly looking me over for any signs of distress. Her face was still serious, but she was showing her care for my well being in her own way. My brain was apparently light years ahead of me because before I knew it the words, "would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night," were out of my mouth.

It took me a couple of seconds, but what I said eventually registered in my head. Nerves immediately filled my stomach, but I tried my best to not let it show. I couldn't go back on it now because even though I was internally flipping out, the woman before me had the most genuine smile I had ever seen on her face. In that moment it was obvious that I would do a lot just to see that sight again. "I would love to," Rose said after a quick beat. "Where will we be going?"

I shook my head from side to side. "That's for me to plan and you to find out. Oh, and no asking Alice either," I said as I pointed what attempted to be a stern finger in her direction. "It's me though so dress comfortable. I'm not the "take-your-girl-to-the-fanciest-restaurant-on-a-first-date" kind of girl."

When I caught sight of the time on my cell phone, a sigh escaped my lips. Leaving was something I didn't want to do, but deep down I knew it was for the best. What Rose and I were starting was too important to me to not do correctly; which meant that sleeping over so soon would be pushing it. "I should probably go." Living on the reservation would at least help the temptation of wanting the blonde to go over too soon. At the age of sixteen, the whole creeping into my window thing was thought as romantic, but now I would probably lose it.

Upon hearing my words, Rose nodded her head and turned to walk me to the front door. "Yes, the human has got to get her rest. Although, you do sleep for an incredibly long time. Hopefully someone will be there to cook breakfast, so you can be pulled from bed. You have a date to plan after all." The blonde held the door open for me, but my body had no intentions of wanting to leave. Seeing my struggle only made Rosalie giggle slightly before leaning forward and placing a kiss on my cheek. "Good night, Bella. I will see you tomorrow." For such a brief kiss, it sure knew how to make my whole body feel warm. Apparently, that would be different with the blonde vampire as well. Edward made it appear painful to be at all affectionate with me while Rose seemed to have no trouble.

"Good night, Rose," I said shyly. As I hopped into my truck, my mind realized that I was planning a date for a vampire who couldn't eat food but would also more than likely want to be treated like a human as much as possible. Well, I definitely had a lot of planning ahead of me. Sleep would just have to wait.


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Firstly, I want to thank all of you who have still been following, reviewing and favorite-ing this story while I've been away. I cannot tell you how much that means to me. I also want to apologize for how long it has taken me to update this story. My dad was diagnosed with cancer against right after he had been in remission for maybe three months, and that just took a lot out of me. All is well now though, and I couldn't be happier. You all are what gave me the courage to get back into this and continue writing this favorite duo of mine. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I promise that there will be more to come soon! **

I looked myself over in the mirror and smiled after finally picking out an outfit that I liked. No matter what I chose, I knew that it would pale in comparison to my dates due to the fact that her closet alone was the size of my room, so once I came to terms with that fact picking was rather simple. Plus, Rosalie knew exactly what she was getting when it came to my attire and just overall being which would make me showing up in a grey shirt, jeans, a leather jacket and chucks not at all a surprise.

Dates have never been something that I'm actually good at. Living on a college campus made it pretty easy since our options were limited. Now though, not only were my options limited due to the woman being a vampire, but we were in Forks, Washington. There had been hours of me writing down ideas on paper, crumpling it up, and repeating the process. It wasn't until Jake walked into my room and commented on how much the sea of horrible ideas resembled some sort of rom com that I actually groaned at how cliché it all was. He had never seen me so bent out of shape over a girl, so the entire scenario was much more hilarious for him than it should be. Once he got his teasing over with, he actually told me something useful. I felt stupid for needing him to point it out to me, but it was true. Rose was my mate, and while I wasn't ready for everything that meant, the one truth that would always prevail with that was the fact that the date she would love most was one with me.

So, that mentality is what had me plan what had to be the simplest date in history, but one I was actually happy with nonetheless. However, all that bravado was out the door the moment I pulled up to Cullen house in Jake's truck. I stepped out and just pushed forward to the door before I could make an ass out of myself. "I don't know why I even think about knocking anymore," where the words out of my mouth the moment the door opened to reveal none other than Rosalie herself.

"I could allow you to knock and therefore subject yourself to the endless teasing of our family if you'd prefer," was the instant witty and playful reply from the woman. My eyes widened and I quickly shook my head which earned me a light laugh. Now that I was done focusing on silly things like doors and knocking, I was able to take in the sight that was before me. Rose had indeed kept it casual with a pair of her own jeans and very flattering red top. I was pretty positive that I was one step away from recreating that looney tunes scene of the wolf's mouth hanging open and tongue slowly rolling out. "Usually staring is considered rude, but I'll allow it this once."

My cheeks flushed again but instead of trusting my voice, I tilted my head towards the truck. Rose nodded and followed my lead to the vehicle. If her face was anything to go by, she was pleasantly surprised to find that I held the door open for her and waited for her to get situated before moving over to my side. Of course, that small glimpse at emotion was all that I was privy to before her usual calm expression was back on her face. I couldn't wait for the day where I would know her well enough to read her small mannerisms and understand her better, but the path to getting there was one of the few things that made this feel just a tiny bit normal. "You look beautiful," I said when I finally got the synapses in my brain to work fast enough to actually string words together into a sentence. I was rewarded with a rare shy smile along with a quiet thank you which had me biting my lip to stop the smile that wanted to stretch across my own features.

As the engine rolled to life, I rolled my window down so I could feel the cool breeze flow through the car as I drove off towards our destination. The trip was silent, but it wasn't awkward. I actually appreciated it. There were too many times when people tried to fill spaces with conversation, especially in confined spaces such as cars, and things just felt forced. I was content just allowing myself to be and enjoy the calming presence of the woman beside me.

Due to Fork's size, it wasn't long until I pulled the truck over to a stop. To anyone it didn't look like much, but it was something that I was actually excited for. I could see that Rose's brows were furrowed in concentration as she tried to place just where we were, so I took that opportunity to get out of the car and make my way over to her side. I opened the door and leaned against it with a smile. One thing I could say was that I was never really one to rush things. Being a klutz made it pretty much a requirement to take things slow, so I was content waiting. It didn't take long though before golden eyes flickered over to me which then prompted the blonde's descent from the truck. "I always believed that humans were inherently simple, yet here I am never being able to truly grasp just what occurs in that mind of yours, Isabella."

Her voice was the calm, soothing one that I was quickly getting more and more accustomed to which made me feel more at ease. I was sure that there were moments where I would always be intimidated by the woman beside me since she always excluded that aurora that just didn't innately mix with my, well, awkward, but it didn't fill me with uneasiness as it once did. "It is nice to be a step in front of a vampire for once," I said as I closed the door of the truck. My fingers twitched as a thought flickered in and out of my mind like an old neon sign that was on its last leg. With a huff, I reached out for Rosalie's hand and intertwined our fingers. It was the first time that I had initiated any sort of contact between the two of us, and it was comforting to be the one not surprised for once. However, when Rose's eyes went from staring at our conjoined hands to my eyes the emotions I saw flickering within the gold told me that I would have very little trouble initiating something like this again. Well, small things at least. "I thought we could go for a walk. There's an old nature path here that I used to run around when I was little. Is that, uh, okay?"

A light squeeze of my hand was all I was offered before Rose took the lead towards the now barely visible path. It had been years so unsightly weeds, flowers, and tree roots had grown in place of the worn, yellow grass that used to be present. "I'm curious, how did you settle upon this idea? Last I heard you were driving Alice absolutely mad with your indecisiveness."

If my eyes hadn't been trained on the ground in an attempt to stop myself from tripping over something, I would have seen the mischievous look that Rosalie had on her face as she said her words. It was the kind that could only come from siblings causing one another far more trouble than was necessary, and one that I had seen one too many times usually worn by Emmett. "I want to get to know you, and while the traditional thing is a dinner and a movie, or some combination like that, I've just always found that way too, I don't know, boring I guess," I said with a shrug of my shoulders. Really, me not including something that involved food wasn't just for her comfort. I just sat through enough awkward meals in my life whether they be dates or otherwise that I knew it wasn't a great idea. My lack of interest in sharing conversation while eating was definitely a habit I picked up from my dad. I'm someone that would rather pick up a hotdog from a stand or get food from a food truck then sit in some fancy restaurant. "Plus, I liked that night where we just laid down together in your bed and talked. I wanted to recreate that somehow, and this is what I got." I lifted my free hand up to gesture to the nature around us. Apparently hearing that I didn't mind the closeness that we had shared that evening was the reassurance that Rosalie needed to hear to move in closer to me. It wasn't much, only until our arms were brushing really, but it was something that would never cease to amaze me. The blonde was always cautious around me now which was new to see on someone that usually was nothing other than confident.

"I am relieved to hear that you foregoing a dinner for these plans was not just for my comfort. One thing I do not want is for me being a vampire to affect you more than necessary." Rose moved some hair away from her face as she looked to the side towards me. Just as she did, I managed to stumble in my footing slightly which she caught easily. There was only a slight chuckle which earned her an eye roll in response.

Before I could respond though, we had reached the spot I was waiting for. Right in front of us was an old tree that had a tire swing attached to it. I remembered there being many days when Jake and I would run out here to see who could push the other the highest. As we walked towards it, I changed the subject. "I used to come here to get away when my parents fought. Of course, me doing so led to me going back home with far more scrapes and bruises than I left with, but I loved it. I loved feeling the wind run through me as I soared higher and felt like I could fly." I knew that Rose was listening to everything I was saying intently due to the fact that I could feel her eyes on me as we walked. Talking about my parents' divorce wasn't something that I did often because it didn't affect me like it did most other kids. I mean, yeah, I was sad to be moving and leaving my dad, but I quickly realized that they weren't happy. I always thought of things more logically than most; even when I was younger. "Take a seat," I said once we came to a stop in front of the tire.

Rose for her part arched an eyebrow in my direction. Now, I was positively sure that this evening was turning out to be nothing like she had imagined, and I actually liked that more than it made me nervous. "You want me to sit on that thing?"

Her tone got me to chuckle a little bit as I nodded. "C'mon. I'll push you lightly, and I know you're not that much of a girly girl. I've seen you covered in oil working on cars."

Rose knew that she couldn't argue that point, so she slowly maneuvered herself so half of her could go through the tire until she could comfortably take a seat. I smiled at the sight, and then moved to stand behind her. As promised, I only gave her a soft push. "What kind of music do you like," I found myself asking randomly. I knew that if Rose had her way we would be talking about me all night, and that was not something I was about to sit through.

"A mixture as you can probably imagine due to me living through so many decades. I will have to disappoint you however and say that your generation's music is most certainly my least favorite. I enjoy jazz, classical, and my secret pleasure would have to be country." The last bit she said with a tinge of embarrassment. It was as if she was sharing a secret with me which was most likely in some way true.

"I can't blame you when it comes to the music made nowadays. I'm more of a seventies and eighties fanatic myself. Joan Jett, Queen, The Stones, and things like that."

As soon as I started listing off artists, Rose tilted her head back to look at me with a smile as she swung back towards me. The light from the moon and way her hair cascaded down made her look more breathtaking than usual. It was most likely the most carefree I had ever seen the blonde. "I'm happy to see that your taste in music is better than your taste in clothes," she said teasingly. I'm actually about ninety percent sure the jab was just said to give her an excuse to have her eyes rack up and down my body. That had me run a hand through my hair and let out a sigh as I tried to quell the feelings that were erupting due to the look in the other woman's eyes.

"Play nice, Cullen," I said with a smirk of my own as I stopped the tire's motions easily with my hands. I looked down at my date and shook my head lightly at her antics. I spun the tire until she was facing me and had no idea why being around Rosalie got me to act much calmer than I typically would. If I thought about it, I knew that a part of it was due to our banter and another part of it due to the fact that she completely accepted me. There was no tension like there would be with Edward. The blonde had no issues being close to me and never actually looked excruciatingly pained. We spoke as equals.

I could see from Rosalie's features that she was content. For the first time since we've met there was no pressure on her shoulders. We finally had everything out in the open, and that alone seemed to work wonders on the vampire. "Don't I always, Isabella," she asked with a sickenly sweet tone to her voice.

In that moment, Rose moved so she could stand up in front of me. Due to the tire and where I was standing, there wasn't much space between us. The close proximity brought back my usual odd behavior in full force. Before long I was tugging at the sleeves of my jacket and lightly fidgeting in my spot. "Do I make you nervous," were the next set of words out of the blonde's mouth as she reached forward to stop my fingers from twitching so much.

It was such a simple question, but it had set my body in a frenzy. I bit the inside of my cheek as I thought how to answer the question. "Um, you could say that, but not in like a bad way or something."

Her smile along with that confidence I was so used to seeing was back. All I could think was that if Rose was even a quarter of this seductive and just enticing as a human, then I had no idea how anyone could have stayed away. I watched as she closed her eyes and controlled her breathing for a moment. I couldn't place why until I heard her next question. "You have been on dates and in relationships before, yes?"

As I looked at her, I could see the turbulent emotions she was attempting to keep at bay. I had heard from Emmett that she was jealous of Jacob before and saw that jealousy full force with Edward the other day. As a human jealousy was something I understood sometimes, but I couldn't even imagine what it felt like on the level the vampire must feel due to the bond that is felt with their mate. Luckily though, my relationship history wasn't something incredibly long or complicated to sort through. "Yeah, but they weren't anything like this. I mean, they were nice and everything, don't get me wrong, but it just wound up not being what I was looking for." It was almost funny how almost three years after my last break up, I was still not better at explaining it. If it wasn't so frustrating, I'm sure there would be some humor to it.

With each word out of my mouth, Rosalie's body seemed to lose some of its tension, and it wasn't long before she was taking another hesitant step towards me. Well, it was more like a shuffle because there wasn't enough room for a step. Each one of her movements were slow, as if she was worried of scaring away a timid kitten or something which I guessed I couldn't blame her for. Our past made this whole slope a slippery one that could be difficult to tread sometimes. "What are you looking for," she asked in a whisper. There was no need for raised voices. Even without the vampire's enhanced hearing, I could hear her loud and clear due to the small bubble we had seemed to create in the middle of the woods.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "But, this is a good start."


End file.
